Burning Souls
by Razzika
Summary: Edward left Bella alone in a world of monsters, and he will regret the day that he left her at their mercy. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Bella has one of Hells' own on her side. AU after Edward leaves in New Moon, Bella/Emmett pairing. Inspired by the television series 'Supernatural'.
1. The First

_I am writing this story as a challenge to myself, as I have fallen into a slump with my other stories. It's a little different from the 'norm' for Twilight fics._

_Inspired by the television series _Supernatural. _Strong influences from the show. The main characters might make a brief cameo, but not enough so that this would be classified as a crossover._

_AU after Edward leaves in New Moon. Still debating over the pairing. Jasper/Bella or Emmett/Bella. I myself and leaning more towards Emmett, he deserves some more lovin'. _

_T-rating for now, might go up later. If a wild lemon scene appears, I'll upload all this to DeviantArt or AdultFanFiction. Don't want to cause an uproar with the admins! And yes, there is a possibility of there being one or more 'heavy petting' scenes._

_Disclaimer: It's not mine, I make no moneyz._

_For TwilightDairies, a fellow Supernatural lover._

_;)_

**Burning Souls**

**The First**

_Red. That was all I could see. On the walls. In the carpet. Splattered over furniture. I fell to my knees. A sickening squelching_ _sound broke the silence. My weight forced the red to rise from the once cream carpet. There was another sound, panic and fright. Quickened breathes. I was hyperventilating._

_Charlie, Dad, Father. He was nowhere, but he was everywhere._

_Ripped, torn, shredded. He was on the floor, behind the couch. He was hanging of the ceiling fan, he was thrown over the television._

_He was dead._

_I scream._

I woke with a muffed screech. It took me a second to realise that someone was calling my name, quietly, grumpily. Denise.

I looked to her, shame colouring my face. It had been months since a nightmare had caused a scene like this. From the other bed, she sighed, "It's alright, kid." The sheets rustled, and then I was recoiling from the sudden light. While I rubbed at my eyes, she spoke, voice husky from sleep. "How bad was this one?"

My hands stilled, and I let them fall. "My Dad."

There was silence, she knew what nightmare plagued me. Then, she said, "Whiskey or scotch?"

I kicked the covers away, heading for the bathroom. "Neither."

A hand stopped me from going any further, it was calloused and strong. "Bella," Denise spoke, a rarely shown softness in her eyes, "It wasn't your fault."

She had said this many times, ever since I told her the real reason why I fled Forks three years ago. Her voice was a broken record, always repeating, never changing. I never believed it, and she never stopped trying to lift the blame.

I met her eyes, and looked away. I would feel much stronger after a hot shower.

I would feel like myself again.

Showers were magical, I thought. Steam curled around me as I left the small bathroom. This motels rooms were pretty decent, compared to some of the dilapidated wrecks we had stayed.

"Feel better, kid?"

My eyes cut to the left. Denise sat at the table, scribbling on the research I had brought back with me yesterday. "Somewhat. Anything promising?"

The pen tapped on the tabletop several times, "I'm pretty sure we're dealing with a simple ghost, maybe a weak poltergeist. If anything turns up, at any rate."

While her eyes remained fixed on the scattered papers, I dropped the towel and pulled on clean clothes. "It's the perfect place for a haunting. Abandoned house, site of a murder, it even has the creepy Victorian theme they love to use in the movies."

She smirked at the page. "Get everything ready and eat. We leave in twenty."

Denise stood, stretching her tall frame and cracking her joints. The dark ink of her tattoos rippled as she limbered up. There were seven of the designs etched into her pale skin. Each served a purpose. They were wards against possession, black magic, tracking, and also safeguards against the darkness that lurked beneath her skin.

Denise was my friend, but she was also dangerous. She took measures to ensure my safety, inking ancient runes and sigils into her skin to keep the monster that lay in her body locked away. As our friendship had cemented itself, and I showed no signs of leaving, I had gotten three of those designs inked into my own skin.

It was always amusing to look at myself now and laugh at what Edwards' reaction to my new look would have been. Though my hair remained long and curled, I had gotten into the habit of winding it all into one or more tight braids. The tattoos, marking me between my shoulder blades, behind my left ear and on my right ankle, were something he no doubt would have severely disapproved of.

Then, of course, there was the fact that I was no longer a frail waif of a human, but a strong and sure woman that, quite frankly, could kick some serious ass. There were the few scars I had picked up from when my hunting skills were less than stellar, and from that vile, murderous wrench.

The thought of Victoria sent spike of deep rage through me. Three years after she had killed my Dad, two years and seven months since her death...even now I still burned with fury.

I snapped the shotgun barrel back into place angrily, shoving the sawed-off end into the holster strapped to my waist. It was uncomfortable, but worth it to have so close.

Anger like no other made my fingers tingle as I slammed a fresh clip of blessed bullets into my Desert Eagle. While there was always a hot anger in me for Victoria, there was a special place reserved in my heart for a certain Cullen _boy_. I was indeed angry with the whole clan of Cullens, but Edward in particular...

Edward would regret the day he left me alone in a world of monsters.

}O{

"Be ready for anything, kid." Denise murmured, letting her truck roll to a stop before the house. "Whatever is here doesn't seem violent, but that can change."

I nodded, mentally reciting what little we knew about this place. There was a death eighty years ago, assumed as a bear attack due to the nature of the damage. The owners had disappeared after their names were cleared and the case went cold. The ghost stories started shortly after.

And due to those ghost stories, some drunk teenagers came out here on a dare and tried to spend the night in the house. Something, or someone, scared them enough that they ran back into town and raised a small riot at the police station.

If we hadn't already been passing through I doubt that we would have even considered coming out here. "Look out for piss stains, one of the kids probably wet himself."

A snort came from the other side of the truck. I glanced over and grinned, pulling my sawed-off out. Denise did the same with a small smirk. We both had silver knifes and iron daggers. Blessed silver was useful for almost any kind of supernatural being, iron, though high maintenance, was handy when the salt-pellets ran out as a last line of defence.

I had a belt of spare shells looped over my chest, Denise had ten strapped to her belt.

We looked badass.

With a mental snicker, I stepped from the truck that so often became our home. Our boots made hardly any noise as we stealthy made our way up to the gate. The blackened iron was covered with vines. We hopped over the low brick wall, bypassing the gate entirely.

The faint warmth from the sun disappeared as the shadow of the enormous house was cast over us. Extravagant was an understatement when describing this place. It was three stories tall, and likely had a basement. Gargoyles perched on the roof, snarling down at us. The fact that the windows were boarded up and nature had begun to reclaim the land added to the creepiness factor.

Denise motioned her head at the door, moving to stand as a lookout as I knelt down and picked the lock. Another useful skill learnt, thanks to her. I had the door open in under thirty seconds, and then it swung open with a long and loud _creeeeeeeack. _

I winced, and pocketed the lock-pick. If there was something in the house, it knew that we were here now.

With guns raised, we went inside.

}O{

I immediately sneezed. Dust caked everything in a thick layer, disturbed particles danced in the beams of light that managed to break through the boarded windows. My eyes, trained to spot inconsistencies and things that did not belong, narrowed at the recently disturbed patches. Footprints clearly marked the path the kids had taken the other night, a second set of marks told me that they had been running when they came back down.

My eyes met the equally amused ones of Denise. "Follow them," she said softly, scanning the entry room with a critical eye. Doing as she asked, I trailed the footprints. They led me through a large dining room and up a grand staircase. Denise was a few paces behind me, checking the rooms I bypassed.

Eventually, we came upon a room. It was a study, by the looks of it. One wall was composed entirely of bookshelves, while a massive desk stood proudly before it.

"It looks like this is where the kids set up camp." I said, spying the blankets and beer bottles still sitting in the centre.

"Seems like they were doing more than _camping_."

I turned, and chuckled when I saw what Denise had found. In her hand, she had a racy bra held up with the tip of her iron dagger. "They're teenagers. Drunk ones." I shrugged, as if that explained everything.

Dropping the bra and sheathing her dagger, Denise came closer and inspected the room. A frown dipped her dark brows down and she growled in annoyance. "I don't detect anything, Billy doesn't either."

"I knew this was a waste of time," I said in a very 'I told you so' kind of voice. Denise sent a look of annoyance my way.

"Better to check it out now, than find out it was a threat later when bodies start turning up."

I accepted the light chastising with a grimace. When lives were at stake, it was always better to be safe rather than sorry. Her hard expression softened as she registered the apology written on my face, "We'll do a final sweep of the house, then take off."

We left the room, splitting up. I went to the bottom floor, while Denise went up to the third floor. I checked every room, mildly interested in some of the objects that had been left behind by the people whom had abandoned the house. Excluding the disturbed dust, there was nothing out of the ordinary. No sudden chills, no moving objects or whispered voices. "The only thing haunting this place is an army of dust-mites." I grumbled, sneezing again.

As I was exiting the last room on my floor, stepping into the footprints left behind by the kids, something familiar entered my nose. A scent, faintly sweet, but somehow masculine and comforting at the same time, filled my nostrils.

My heart's steady pace kick-started as the cold chill of adrenaline raced down my spine, pain lancing through me like a physical force. Franticly, I stared down at the footprints with a new intensity. They were different from the ones I had followed into the study. They were larger, and not left behind by sneakers of converse shoes.

"_Idiot. Stupid, foolish, naive idiot!" _I cursed, spinning with my gun raised.

Only to stop in place as a figure that _was not there before _stood in the doorway.

A scream lodged in my throat as the vampire, a shadow cast over his face, remained still. On instinct, my arm moved, lifting the shotgun. It would do little but stun him, but at least it would alert Denise that something was wrong.

He moved, arms raising and I reflexively squeezed the trigger.

For a heartbeat, I felt a dark pleasure at finally being able to hurt one of these creatures, but then I recognized the face that was suddenly illuminated as the vampire reached out and flicked the somehow-still-working light switch on.

I gasped, eyes wide.

I had just shot Carlisle Cullen.

_Any questions? Feel free to ask!_

_Feedback?_

_Who is Billy? Stay tuned and find out!_


	2. The Second

**Burning Souls**

_The Second_

Smoke curled up from the barrel of the shotgun, silkily spiralling upwards despite the fact that time seemed to stand still in this room.

My finger trembled, the gun rattling in my grip as ice bloomed in my lungs, freezing me from the inside out.

"C-Ca-" I tried to speak before everything came crashing down. "Denise!" I screamed, steadying my grip in the gun. "_Denise!" _

Carlisle, leaving his own stupor, took a step towards me, one hand outstretched like he wanted to take my hand. His face, still young and handsome as ever, shimmered faintly in the faded light. It hurt, oh God, it _hurt_ to see such a pained and hopeful expression on his face.

His mouth was moving, but no sound registered in my ears as blood roared through my skull.

My knees were going to buckle so I forced them to move. Stumbling back a few steps, I waited for those golden eyes, once full of such warmth and affection, to dissolve into a black mass of hate and wicked amusement. After all, that's all I had been to the Cullens, a toy, an amusing pastime.

A pet.

The fear, the pain changed, morphing into something I felt far more comfortable with.

Rage.

It flowed through my quivering body until each muscle became tense with the hot and boiling emotion. I steadied, scowled and growled something obscene under my breath. Even though the steely anger had filled me to the brim, I almost recoiled at the deep well of sadness in Carlisles' eyes. But then all of that was gone when Denise, a dangerous fire in her eyes, skidded to a stop behind him, shotgun raised.

Air hissed between her teeth as she met my eyes. "Step. Away. From her." She snarled, pulling her handgun out and holstering the shotgun. "_Now!" _

Carlisle didn't remove his eyes from me. "Bella..." he said, voice cracking with grief.

I swallowed, frustration and old pain welling in my eyes in the form of tears. I did not let them fall. I refused to. "_Don't_. Don't say my name." I forced out through gritted teeth.

Denise's eyes hardened as she realised just who this vampire was. "Step aside and let her pass."

Again, he did not seem to hear her. He only had eyes for me. His mouth opened, and I just knew that he was going to say my name again. I had had enough. "I said don't say _my name!_" My scream echoed in the house, bouncing off the walls eerily. "Move." I ordered, forcing the lump in my throat down.

"No, not until you let me speak." He straightened, pleading. Golden eyes were desperate. Something inside me cracked.

I jerked the gun threateningly at him, "You have no right to speak to me!" Movement behind him caught my eye, Denise had raised her hand, ready to unleash her demonic powers if need be. "Let. Me. Pass."

Carlisle stood firm, "I will move, if you promise to talk with me."

Finally, my anger fled, abandoning me like the owners did this house, leaving me hollow and empty. _"WHY!" _The shotgun was thrown at him, and he caught it despite the sadness twisting his face. The face that I had once looked upon with love and respect. He had been like a father to me. "You left me! Why do you want to talk?" I gasped, chest heaving. The crack broke further, and my heart ached with old pain.

I could see it in his eyes, he wanted, so desperately, to come closer. His arms lifted, as if to engulf me in an embrace. It infuriated me how badly I wanted to be held by him again. I took a step back, stiffening my spine until it had a chance of snapping in two. My glare was fierce, and he seemed so hurt by it.

"We left, because that's what you wanted."

Bile rose in my throat, and I forced it back down. Unbelieving, I stared at him aghast. "Because it's what _I _wanted..._bullshit!_" I stomped my foot, uncaring as to how childish the action was. "I never wanted you to leave. The Cullens were a family to me," I jabbed my finger at him, the tears finally spilling over as it did, "_You _were like a father to me...I loved you all...why..._why _would I want you to leave?"

Denise looked as if she wanted to burn him right then and there. A muscle in her jaw ticked.

Such profound confusion swam in his gaze. I had no idea what he was so confused about, what had happened years ago was quite clear to me. Finally he acknowledged Denises' presence. He stepped to the side, albeit reluctantly. "Please," he said, voice tugging at my heart with how tender it was, "Come back tonight, we need to talk. Things...aren't as they seem."

I stalked past him, stopping only when cold finger grazed the back of my hand. I froze, unable to speak at the daring move. Denise seemed impossibly tense as he laid his fingers over the back of my palm. "_Please_, Bella." I flinched, and he withdrew.

My jaw clenched as I ground my teeth together, ferociously ignoring the tears that fell down my cheeks. He did not seem to be lying, and he sounded so earnest. Squeezing my eyes shut, I jerked my head in a nod.

I would come back, but he might regret that he asked me to.

Relief melted across his features, and I practically ran from the house. He kept his word, and did not follow us. Denise threw wary glances over her shoulder every few feet. Our hurried steps rebounded off the walls, filling the house with noise.

I swiped at the tears, and jumped into the car. It was hard to breathe again. I pressed a hand to my chest and whimpered into my other as the truck roared to life. Denise revved the engine and spun us around, gunning it when we faced the driveway.

Get me away from here, I thought, panicking, get me far, far away.

The weight of everything was crushing, smothering. My nails dug into the skin over my collar bone, not breaking just digging in. Pain would help me focus. It would ground me.

"Whiskey." I rasped.

Denise looked at me, face hard and immensely serious. A spark of sympathy and understanding lighting her eyes. "Whiskey it is, kid."

}O{

_Another one bites the dust!_

_Chapters will get longer, cool your jets._

_Questions? Feel free to ask! _

_Feedback?_


	3. The Third

**Burning Souls**

_The Third_

The amber liquid burned down my throat. I swallowed another mouthful and savoured the blaze. The whiskey sat in my stomach, warm and comforting.

My eyes swept over the bar, paranoia winning out. The tavern was almost completely empty. Two lonely souls sat at the bar, while I nursed my drink in a dark corner.

My eyes had stopped tearing up by the time we got back into town. No words were spoken when Denise pulled up outside this bar. Shock had settled in shortly after the first gulp had settled in my belly.

I still could not wrap my head around the past hours events. Frustration rose, and I shakily downed the last of my drink before motioning to the waitress for another. Denise sipped sparingly from her vodka and ice, watching me with a cautious intensity. Words sat on the tip of her tongue, but they remained unspoken.

"_Good," _I thought with relief. I still had not gotten control over the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings spinning around in my head. That's what I truly appreciated about Denise, she let me fight my own battles, she didn't push when it wasn't needed. She was a guide, and pillar of strength. She was my best friend.

I took sip from my fresh glass, already feeling the first drink taking effect. A pleasant buzz hummed through my body.

Finally, I set the glass down. Denise waited patiently for me to speak, a finger idly tracing a water ring on the worn wooden table. "What do you want to do, kid?" She spoke softly, voice low in her husky tenor. Country singers would kill for a voice like hers.

I tugged on my braid, fiddling with the end. "I don't know...what do I do in a situation like this, Denise?"

A small sigh left her mouth, and she set her own drink down. "Truthfully, I reckon that you should give the guy at least fifteen minutes. Billy got some interesting vibes from him, to quote the ass, he said 'the two imbeciles have obviously been deceived by the one you call jailbait'." Lean arms crossed over her chest, "I'll back you up no matter what you decide though."

My head thudded against the table as I let it fall, hands fisting as I threw curses around in my head. Talking with Carlisle could mean getting some direly needed closure...it could mean discovering why they had left me alone when they _knew _that Victoria was still out there.

A long, deep and drawn out sigh left me. "Dammit." The word was a growl. "If Edward shows up I _will _shoot him." I raised my head and took another swig. "In the shrivelled up marbles he calls _balls_."

Denise snorted into her drink, a genuine grin crinkling the corners of her eyes. It was hard not to smile myself when such a light expression overcame her face, those moments were far and in between for my friend.

"I want to wash this dust off." I downed the last of my drink, resolving to wear something that would show off some of my scars and tattoos. "See you back in the motel."

She watched me go, thumbing the rim of her glass absently.

}O{

The bathroom mirror held my twin, and I stared at her with pride.

This was _me_. And despite the horrific events that had led me to this day, I was proud of the women I had become.

My scars were a symbol of pride for me. They were a testament to what I had survived and overcome. I fingered the long, silvery line that cut across my leg. That was a glancing blow from a Wendigo, a human turned cannibal. I had shoved my miniature flamethrower in his mouth the next second and pulled the trigger.

I looked at the small star shape patch on my left shoulder. That was from a ghost that was attached to her mummified skull in a new exhibit travelling the nation from Egypt. Museums had many ancient weapons on display, and she had made use of them.

I looked at the others. The claw marks from the shape-shifter on my bicep. The pale line across my neck from nearly being strangled with a wire by a possessed man. The pink streak on my calf left by a bullet graze, courtesy of an insane werewolf.

The bite mark on my wrist from James.

The lines on my back from Victoria.

These made me who I am, they _were _who I was. I am a Hunter, and no self-righteous, masochistic _brat _was going me make me doubt myself ever again.

I would meet with Carlisle, and he would see the new me. The real me.

With a smirk, I pulled on a singlet that was low cut in the back, but not so much in the front. It showed off the curling and intricate design that sat between my shoulder blades and travelled down my spine for nearly two inches. That one was a ward against possession, combining anti-possession sigils from Celtic, Latin and Native American cultures. They were the strongest that Denise had come across, and had redone the design several times until I was happy with it. It had been a twentieth birthday gift from her.

I chose a pair of dark jeans and heavy boots to complete the look of the new Bella. They were common wear for me now days, but back then...

I cackled and pulled on the denim pants, back then I would not have been caught dead in something so snug.

The alcohol may have impaired my judgement slightly, I realized cynically. My behaviour seemed so...petty.

Ignoring my inner voice, that sounded remarkably like my teacher from sixth grade, I sat down and flicked the television on.

I may be acting slightly immature, but I damn well deserved some payback. Payback was meant to be a bitch, and I have fangs.

I fingered the hilt of the dagger hidden in my boot. It was made from a dragons tooth, and was rumoured to be able to hurt and kill anything. Living, dead or un-dead.

Another cackle caught me by surprise, my 'fang' was the dragons fang aptly named _Fang_.

"Did you drink from the minibar too?"

I rolled my neck and chortled as a rather befuddled looking Denise entered our room. A bottle of water was thrown on my bed, and I took the hint and gulped several mouthfuls down. I needed to sober up, and she had clearly thought of everything, as a carton of hot food was passed over too.

I opened it, and my stomach growled in anticipation. Though, I suddenly had no appetite.

"Eat, Bella." I looked up at Denise, all the laughter leaving me. "You need a clear head and a full stomach."

The first bite of the burger hit my stomach like a heavy weight. "Sorry, I'm just slightly...off-kilter since..."

"I know, kid."

I stuffed another mouthful in, speaking around it with appalling table manners. "I wifsh you 'ould sfftop fallin' me 'at."

She threw a balled up piece of paper at me, "Speak properly, you uncivilised heathen."

I swallowed, "You're only five years older than me, stop calling me a kid."

"In body, I may be twenty-seven, but mentally, I'm at least forty." Her feet kicked up onto the empty chair, crossing at the ankle. She had at least two knives hidden in her shoes. "One matures at a faster rate when a demon is sealed in their body, and this one is forced to listen to that demon ramble on for the rest of eternity."

My eyes rolled, "Referring to yourself like that is really weird."

"This one does not give a shit, and tells you to eat your vegetables."

I knew that Denise was doing all this on purpose to put me at ease, and I appreciated her efforts. Billy, the aforementioned demon trapped in her body, was quite chatty when he wanted to be, and she normally stayed quiet in favour of tuning him out.

The rest of our meal was eaten in silence. After I swallowed the last bite I settled in to watch a movie.

Glancing at her from the corner of my eye, I watched her expertly dismantle and clean her magnum handgun. "Hey, Denise?"

Icy-blue eyes flicked away from the handgun, a question on them. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Her hands stilled, before she reassembled the weapon in under a minute. "No problem, kid."

I sat in to wait for evening to roll around.

}O{

_I am very excited about the responses to this story!_


	4. The Fourth

**Burning Souls**

_The Fourth_

I fiddled with the ring on my middle finger, it was blessed silver with a small spike on it. A last line of defence, as it were.

Denise eyed me as the truck rumbled up the long driveway, a road so similar to the one that lead to their house in Forks. At the memory of my once-home, my eyes hardened. Hands stilling, I sat up straighter, removing any trace of nervousness from my person. The house came into view, and we both exchanged a look when the lights came on. It was dusk, night was only an hour away, but it seemed like Carlisle was trying to be as welcoming as possible.

Carlisle had been busy, I just hoped that he had not called the family.

I couldn't face them...not yet.

I braced myself, and with a deep breath, I stepped from the truck.

}O{

I stared down at the gate. It had been pinned open, invitingly. My blank stare morphed into a frown and in a small act of rebellion, I stepped to the left and vaulted over the low brick wall.

Denise chuckled throatily, strolling through the gate at a slow pace, apparently at ease with the situation. Even though she was calm on the outside, I knew that she had no less than five weapons on her. I had three, and made no real effort to hide them. I wanted him to see me. I wanted Carlisle to see the Hunter that I had become.

He was dangerous, but so was I.

I ignored the doorbell and went straight on inside.

He was waiting in the middle of the room.

A quick survey of the room revealed that Carlisle had cleaned in the few hours we were gone. The dust was largely gone, and the moth-eaten covers had been removed from most of the furniture in the living room he led us to. The lights were repaired, and filled the large house with a warm glow.

Carlisle took a seat opposite the large couch that myself and Denise made our self comfortable in. It smelt of mould, but it was easily ignored. Silence reigned, in which Carlisle looked both of us over, though his observation of Denise was barely a half-curious glance.

"Bella," he started, voice full of warmth, even if his eyes were cautious, "It is good to see you. You've grown into a beautiful young woman."

I bit down on my tongue as a sharp and angry retort formed. He was just being nice, breaking the ice. Instead, I said, "Carlisle. You haven't changed."

A mirthless chuckle came from him, "No, I haven't, but I can see that you have." Golden eyes became sad, "How have you been, Bella?"

My arms moved on their own, coming to cross defensively over my chest, but I forced them down to rest on my thighs instead. "C-Carlisle," I forced out, finding it surprisingly hard to say his name, "If you have any kindness for me, you won't make me talk about the last three years. All I want to know is _why._" My hand cut through the air, "Why did you leave? You didn't even say goodbye." I whispered the last part.

He looked pained, "We left because Edward told us that you wanted nothing to do with us after what happened with Jasper." I shook my head in objection, but he kept talking, "My son told us that you never wanted to see us again." His breathe shuddered, voice weakening, "We left town the next day. Edward stayed behind to...try an convince you that what happened would never happen again...but just looking at your face, I think that was a lie on his part."

Slim but strong fingers carded through his blond locks, he looked frustrated and confused, like he was thinking over a riddle that had no answer. I had yet to exhale, and did so explosively, pulling on my braid harshly.

If what he was saying was true then...then...

"_No. Don't make any assumptions." _I ordered myself.

"If that was what he told us..." he began, a horrible realization coming into his eyes, "What did he tell you?"

Clearing my throat, I met his wounded eyes. It seemed like I wasn't the only one Edward had hurt. "He told me that he was bored with his human _pet."_ I spat the word, disgust lacing my heavy tone. "He said that I was nothing more than a passing distraction for all of you...and that you didn't want me anymore." I choked out the last few words, finding it difficult to speak all of a sudden. Hell, I'd been wasted when Denise got the story out of me.

Carlisle looked appalled, but I forged on, pain thickening my tone. My resolve to stay fierce leaving when he had such a heartbroken look about him, deep pain resonated from his compassionate gaze. "Edward led me out into the woods and said to me that I was no longer needed, that I was not _wanted_ anymore. And then he left. You all _left_." I sounded like a broken record, but that was how I felt sometimes. Broken, pain unending, going around in circles. "You _abandoned _me. Even if he did lie...how could _you, _of all people, believe what he said?"

Hysteria was creeping into my voice. A warm hand settled briefly on my shaking back, and I calmed.

Footsteps echoed, and I looked up. Carlisle knelt down in front of me and took my hands. I was too stunned to recoil. "Oh, Bella. Oh, my sweet Bella." Those hands were so familiar, so gentle and caring, "Please believe me when I say that we, _I_, never wanted to leave you." Our joined hands shook for emphasis, his frozen hands had never felt so warm. "Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and myself all wanted to come see you, but Edward would not let us. He said that you hated us."

I sucked in a breath. I looked to Denise for guidance, she met my eyes and nodded slowly. It was genuine. He wasn't lying.

Cold but somehow warm hands let go of mine, only to reach up and cup my wet cheeks. A small part of my mind wondered when I had started crying again. "We thought Edward was your mate, and a mate can not harm their other half...so we did what Edward said was best, what he said you wanted."

Carlisle pressed his forehead to mine, and I knew that if he could, he would be crying too. "But we never stopped loving you, my daughter."

A small, fragile thing inside me grew. It was delicate and tiny, but there.

It was hope, and it was beautiful.

I buried my face in his shoulder and cried like a baby.

}O{

_Feedback?_


	5. The Fifth

**Burning Souls**

_The Fifth_

The world whittled down until there was nothing else but the arms holding me. They rocked me back and forth when I slipped from the couch and I held on to the cold-but-warm body with all my might. The safety and security that only a loving fathers arms could bring enveloped me in warmth.

It was like being in my Dads' arms again, and that thought made me cry even harder, because I _was_ in my fathers' arms. He was here, and he loved me. Hurt had been done, and it had changed both of us, but the love was there, and it would endure. Because that's was love does. It endures.

He sobbed along with me, not nearly as messily, but it cemented the fact that he had not wanted to leave me, and he never stopped caring.

I held on tighter. Carlisle didn't let go.

I hadn't forgiven him, but it was a start.

}O{

We remained like this for a while, holding on to the other fiercely, unwilling to part. Denise remained silent as we finally gained some closure.

I finally drew away, resettling on the couch with an embarrassed flush. There was a light in Carlisles' eyes of true happiness, and like the fragile hope blooming in my chest, it was beautiful. His thumbs swept over my cheeks, removing the tears and cooling the heated skin. "You will always be my daughter. Vampire or human, you are my child in everything but blood. I love you, my sweet, strong, stubborn girl." A kiss, cool and tender, was pressed to my forehead and he sat on the coffee table.

He didn't let go of my hands though, and I smiled wetly. Carlisle, my father, reached out and brushed stray strands of hair behind my ear with a smile of his own. I didn't say anything, I couldn't verbalise what I was feeling yet. Not after all the pain. I needed time, and he understood.

"Sorry about your shirt," I croaked, sniffling.

He laughed warmly, "It was already full of holes."

I blinked, then flushed. "Oh, right, sorry about shooting you too."

Both Denise and Carlisle chuckled while he reached behind him, pulling out the shotgun I had thrown at him. It was passed back to me with a deeply intrigued look. "I confess, I am greatly curious about this," he motioned to the sawed-off before staring pointedly at the obvious bulge under my jacket, the hilt of the dagger in my boot and the handle of the electric baton sticking out of my pocket. "And those...if you are willing to share."

I leant back, giving myself some space. Patience settled over his features, and it reminded me of conversations in the past, of me sitting in his study, absorbing the soothing tenor as he weaved storied from lives past.

"I'm a Hunter."

Both of his brows rose, "A Hunter?"

"Surely you've heard of them?" I said incredulously. Carlisle tilted his head to the side, considering.

"Old rumours, legends of some of the more famous Hunters." He began, hands folding together. Denise leant forward curiously. "Vampires on a whole avoid most of the other creatures out there, and because we are so powerful we rarely become the prey."

A smirk wanted to break across my face, but with some effort, I repressed it. We had taken on two vampires and lived. Not including Victoria. I froze, some horrible sensation creeping up my spine. Thoughts, ideas, possibilities flashed through my mind, each holding true to a sickening theory. Turning to him, the colour falling from my face, I voiced a question that might ruin what little ground we had gained today. "Did you know that Victoria was still out there?"

Carlisle frowned, perplexed. "She disappeared after we killed James."

The immensely fragile ball of hope in my chest waned in strength, the light was fading. "She was James's mate. His _mate_. And you still left me?"

No denials or absolutions spilled from him, he just sat there, a desperate horror slackening his face. I stood and paced, absently noticing the taught pose and narrowed eyes of my only friend. Denise looked ready to pounce, her pupils had expanded until the barest sliver of blue circled it.

Carlisle was still silent, and the light faded entirely. I was hollow, broken, abandoned. "You know the vampire world, their rules, better than anyone in the family...you knew what would happen and you still left me defenceless!" Bile rose, my stomach rolled, the betrayal hit me like a truck loaded with bricks, "Victoria came back! She killed my Dad!" I shouted, feeling the sadness grow into something hot, something fiery and uncontrollable that tinged my vision red. "That bitch went into my house and ripped him apart, just to get to me!"

Carlisle stood, and I was oblivious to his movement until his arms went back around me. I reacted violently. My fists beat against his chest relentlessly, even though there were sure to be bruises later. I pushed and kicked and snarled like an animal. "Edward was a damned mind-reader, how could he not know they were mates?" He finally got the hint and released me. I skittered back several paces and zeroed at him with a laser-eyed glare. "How could you..."

Denise came to stand by my side, proud and fierce like a panther. What little closure I had gained by coming here was gone, in its place a gaping, ragged canyon dug itself. Pain, hurt, horror. They roared, clawing through my soul with wicked grins and curving claws.

Carlisle looked like I had ripped his heart out.

"_Good,"_ I thought, _"Because he has already ripped out mine." _

"Bella, please!" A hand reached for me, desperate, frantic. I slapped it away, backing up again. Denise stepped between us, a guardian, a shield.

"You almost killed me years ago, I won't give you the chance to do it again." I lifted my chin, seething.

With that, I walked out the door and ignored the tears.

}O{

_I have no idea how long this will be, but there will be love, war and revenge. Oh yes, the revenge. *laughs evilly*_

_Feedback?_


	6. The Sixth

**Burning Souls**

_The Sixth_

When I woke up, the smell of smoke choked my senses. I shot up and leapt from the bed, expecting a fire, but instead saw something impressively strange, even for me.

Denise was cooking.

Or trying to.

She spared me a look before going back to contemplating the black, smoking mass in the frying pan. Waving away the thick clouds, I stepped closer and peered into the pan, raising a brow. "What was that supposed to be?"

Denise grimaced, flipping the pan upside down and shaking it. The mass did not move an inch. "Scrambled eggs."

I could not help it, I started snickering and snorting at her hideous cooking skills. "Why on Earth were _you_ cooking?"

Grimace fading, she set the pan down. "I thought you might like something breakfast in bed after yesterday." Ice steadily met chocolate, and even though pain radiated in waves from my heart, I forced a grin.

"You should have gotten take-away from the diner then." She could tell that I was burying everything already, ignoring it and protecting myself. After all, Denise had been the one to bring me out of the comatose-like state I had fallen into after Victoria had murdered my Dad and she had rescued me from the red-headed bitches' torture room. I owed her everything, the truth was one of them.

Sighing, I slumped into the chair, resting my elbows on the cheap faux-wood table. "Thanks for trying, Denise."

"Don't thank me yet. Get ready, we're going out."

Startled, I watched her fill the sink with water and shove the likely ruined pan into the water in silence. "Why?"

A chuckle, low and throaty, huffed from her. Denise spoke one word, her grin fierce. "Therapy."

I leant back in my chair warily. Denise only smiled, no..._that_ face was far to feral to be anything remotely close to a _smile_, I mentally corrected. Denise only got that look on her face when explosions were involved, or fire.

Both she and Billy were pyromaniacs, and as her inhabitant was a demon that used fire as his main weapon, I guessed he had some influence.

Edging out of my chair, I watched her stab at the mass of no-longer-eggs with a butterknife until my line of sight was interrupted by the bathroom door. Shutting myself inside, I took a moment to lean against the cool wood. Denise was trying, really hard, to be someone she wasn't for me.

For one, she _never _cooked. This mornings' incident proved why.

Secondly, though she was kind, Denise rarely did more than offer a few words or a gentle touch, she didn't go out of her way like this. Letting people work out things on their own was her method, occasionally she would step in and throw a punch or lend an ear, but this...

I smiled, softly, happily. Actions did more than words sometimes, and Denise was all about action, but these actions meant that she was genuinely concerned about me. She was worried enough about me to attempt cooking and then take me out for something that wasn't a hunting job.

The deep well of pain thrummed again, and my hand clenched over the shower tap. Swallowing, I stepped under the hot water.

It was still hard to believe what I had learned last night.

The pain increased, and I went to my knees, unable to stand. Salt filled my mouth, and I angrily spat the tears out. Scrubbing viciously at my skin, as if I could wash the hurt and betrayal away, I cleaned myself until my body was rubbed raw.

}O{

Denise had packed our few possessions while I was showering, leaving some fresh clothes out for me beside a carton of hot food from the diner. A note, hastily scribbled, was tucked under the carton. Picking it up, I read over it while pulling my clothes on. Denise had gone out to grab a few things and would be back soon.

Good, that gave me more time to collect myself.

I slathered a moisturiser on, hoping it would calm the puffy skin around my eyes. Denise would probably be able to tell I had been crying again anyway. Scarfing down the food, I dressed and pulled my hair up.

Whatever she had planned, it was outside of town. We were getting the Hell out of dodge, and I couldn't agree with her plan more.

Stuffing my dirty clothes and bathroom supplies into my waiting canvas bag, a bag that held almost all of my worldly possessions, I swallowed the last of the food. A smirk flitted across my face as I went to throw my empty carton and discovered that Denise had thrown the ruined pan away. The butterknife was jammed in the burnt mass of eggs.

Shouldering my bag, my life, I left the motel room and went to drop off the keys.

}O{

Denise remained silent as she drove us away from the town, away from Carlisle and from the pain. I felt lighter the further away we got, but there was this little _thing _that pulled at me from the inside. Annoyance gripped me, I did not want to go back. I _didn't_.

Even as I refused to acknowledge it, a small part of me did want to go back to the house and confront Carlisle about Edward and Victoria.

"Snap out of it, kid." Denise snapped her fingers near my nose. "We're here."

Blinking several times, I glanced at her before stepping from the truck and peering around. We were in a forest, several miles away from the town. It was a rest stop for truckers and campers, people driving for hours at a time. A monstrous jeep was parked next to a giant moving truck at the other end of the dirt lot. A small picnic area sat unused.

Why were we here? I asked myself this question, perplexed.

"Take this." Denise pushed a heavy bag into my arms, and I shouldered it when she hefted a second bag and started walking. Taking off after her, I asked her where we were going. She remained silent, offering only wink, which surprised me more than the impromptu hike.

Shrugging, I trailed slightly behind her, taking in the scenery as we trekked on. The forest was sparse, but lush. Teeming with noise and life. Filling my lungs, I savoured the crisp scent of pine and the earthly smell of dirt recently pounded with rain. A smile worked its way onto my face.

Rolling my shoulders, I let my neck loll, enjoying the cracks that resulted from the move.

Eventually, the forest ended. We came into a small clearing, a cove backed with a wall of rock. Denise set her bag down, unzipping it and pulling five odd lumps free. Gesturing for me to stay put, she walked forward until she was seven or so metres from the wall before stabbing a piffled branch into the ground and tying the lump to it.

When she finally began to walk back, I felt laughter bubble up.

The lump was probably full of straw, but on it, she had stuck a picture of Dracula. She did the same thing with the other four.

In the end, I was clutching my stomach and howling with laughter as I saw the line up she had made.

Dracula. Hitler. Voldemort. Chucky. Jigsaw.

That was our line up, and, as I discovered, Denise had packed all of our long range weapons in the second bag.

I was grateful, so damn grateful, that she had done this. But she wasn't done yet. Denise reached down and pulled a six pack of pre-mixed whiskey and coke, still cold enough to smooth over the slight dryness on my tongue quite pleasantly.

"Enjoy your therapy, Bella." Her hand moved in a gesture that clearly said 'have at it' as she sat down, leaning against a fallen log with a drink in hand.

My laughter echoed in the clearing, and it made my heart feel so much fuller.

}O{

Shooting stuff into oblivion was the best kind of therapy. The kick of the rifle as the recoil pounded into my shoulder felt cleansing, as if it were pushing the negativity out. As I sent bullet after bullet into the targets, the faces slowly changed from Dracula and Jigsaw, they became Victoria. James. Edward.

Dark pleasure made my face twist into a smirk as the paper masks shredded beneath my barrage. This was closure. This was release. I hadn't touched the drinks after my first mouthful, but a rush made me giddy with delight. Drunk on adrenaline.

The rifle clicked empty, but I didn't reload it this time. Instead I tilted my head back and drew in a long breath, broad grin in place. Emptying shell after shell into a target was supremely cathartic. A rush of a different kind travelled through my body, one I had never been game enough to find release for. I may be different now, but I still craved a connection with a man before we took a tumble in the sheets.

A low chuckle came from behind me. Denise grinned delicately at my wide smile, the barest curl in the corner of her mouth. "Feel better?"

I lazily plodded over, taking a seat beside her. Two empty bottles sat beside her, a third half empty in her hand. I picked up a fresh one, taking a hearty swig. Leaning the rifle on the log between us, I settled in and stretched my legs out. "Hell. Yes."

This was Denise's form of kindness, and it was just what I needed.

"Feel like sparring too?" she offered.

I opened my mouth to accept, when something flashed in the corner of my vision. I stilled, and Denise casually pretended to fix her sleeve, but was actually loosening the dagger strapped to her forearm. "I'll take your silence as a yes," she stood, pulling the dagger out with a quiet _snick, _"We need to work on your defence and knife-play anyway."

Taking my cue, I stood and pulled the Fang from my boot. The feel of six inch off-white blade in my steady grip was reassuring. Taking a well-practiced stance, I circled Denise so that she would be forced to do the same, giving her a chance to see our stalker without giving ourselves away.

When her eyes became unfocused and the pupils expanded I knew that she was tapping into Billy's powers, using his enhanced senses to see beyond what humans could see. I feinted a downward swipe while bringing my free hand up to disarm her. Denise used my momentum against me and twisted my arm until I was brought right up against her. "Vampires. Male. Golden eyes." She whispered in my ear, so lowly I almost didn't hear.

With more force than necessary for a play fight, I broke free and glared in the direction the flash had come from. Anger flared brightly, dulling the elation I had experience moments ago. "Come on out, Cullens." I growled, knowing they could hear, "We know that you're there."

Barely a second passed before they slowly emerged from the trees. My heart thundered in a fast rhythm as the familiar faces came into view, however painful it had been to see Carlisle, seeing these two seemed even worse.

From the cover of shadow, Emmett and Jasper Cullen walked into the light.

}O{

_Our poor Bella just can't get a break, can she?_

_Feedback, my loves!_


	7. The Seventh

**Burning Souls**

_The Seventh_

My knuckles were white, the handle of Fang was in danger of being crushed by my hand.

Jasper and Emmett Cullen.

They stood, perhaps ten metres away, but I knew them. I knew their faces, their bodies. They were unmistakable. Anger slithered through my mind like a hissing snake, and I knew the moment Jasper's abilities picked it up. He flinched, averting his eyes. And a dark part of me wanted to project all I could at him, but seeing such a strong vampire cringe away from me made me recoil.

They seemed crushed, as if my hands had reached inside their chests and squeezed their hearts until they burst.

I was harder, stronger, but when had I become such a sadist?

Sickened with myself, I pressed down on the anger until it simmered beneath my skin. "Did Carlisle tell you to follow me?" was my opening line, flat, guarded.

Jasper looked dead, his eyes were hollow as they met mine, the smallest amount of confusion apparent. "No...he knew that you were here?"

I had never really interacted with him before, but the few words we had traded never rasped like that. His voice had been rich in its smooth tenor, not strained and thick. Was he struggling with bloodlust? The faintest trickle of concern escaped, and those dull eyes exploded.

Jasper stared at me like a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. I cussed in my mind. They still had a hold on me, even years after their supposed abandonment of me, and frustrated me beyond belief. I wanted to hate them and forget they ever existed. I wanted to forgive and love them again and have some semblance of a family again. I was a paradox, two opposing forced being smashed together.

"Yes. We...talked." I said awkwardly, unwilling to acknowledge the hope in his eyes. I couldn't even look at Emmett, he had always been so sweet and loving. His eyes would break the weak wall that stood between me staying strong and me breaking down. "I learnt some interesting things, so did he." The word 'interesting' tasted badly in my mouth.

Sighing heavily, I flung Fang at the log in irritation, watching it quiver briefly before stilling in its' new sheath. The curving blade didn't throw well, but I had gotten the hang of it. "Edward is a lying, deceiving asshat." I scowled at the forest, "He's not with you, is he?"

Emmett spoke this time, and I squeezed my eyes shut at the onslaught of emotion that hit me. "No, he's not." He took a step forward, hands searching, reaching, for me with such heartache in his warm eyes, "Bells..."

I ignored the throb of pain when he said my name and crossed my arms over my chest, putting up a strong, indifferent front. "Good, because if he was here his balls would be in danger of being turned into earrings."

That brought weak smiles to both of their faces, and despite my efforts, the sight of them made me grin slightly too. Realising what I was doing, I scowled, digging my fingers into my arms. I would not let myself be hurt again, not like with what happened with Carlisle.

They both sobered, and I looked away. Denise sidled up beside me, slipping her dagger back up her sleeve. "Perhaps we should sit," she met my eyes, reading the desire in even if I was repressing it, refusing to believe it was there. "There is much that needs to be said, I think."

I slunk back to my seat, picking up the forgotten drink and getting comfortable as I could. Making a face as something dug into my hip, I pulled the handgun from its holster and set it on my knee. They hesitantly came closer, lowering themselves into the grass across from us. Two sets of golden eyes looked to the weapon with obvious curiosity.

Denise was also on the receiving end of such looks, but they were cursory and inevitably they fell back to me. I didn't know where to start, but thankfully, Jasper did that for me. "When you said Edward was a deceiver...what did you mean?"

Though I wanted them to know the truth, I feared what their reactions would be...what mine would be when the truth came out about Victoria.

"Edward," I began, "Lied to all of you about me. I never wanted you to leave, I never hated you." I squarely met Jaspers' eyes, "Any of you. What happened was a mistake, we all knew the risks."

I hoped that it broke through. Jasper was a strong man, seeing such defeat in his frame was just wrong. And Emmett...

I looked to him, and something inside me shattered as a brilliant shine of hope burst in his golden eyes. Eyes closing, I fought the tears. There had been enough crying these past two days. "You were my family, I loved you all."

The small smiles on their faces vanished. "Loved. You said _loved._"

I flinched, steeling myself. "My feelings have changed._ I_ have changed. Edward..."

Emmett rose, scuttling so close that he was able to place both of his hands on my shoulders. I didn't feel the impulse to push him away. "What did Edward say, Bells?" his voice was panicked, hushed. _Scared_. "What made you change?"

It was impossible to look away, and the words spilled from my mouth. When I was done, Emmett had this blank look on his face, but his eyes...his eyes were blacker than the moonless night. Inky and endless.

Fear did not fill me as the vampire loomed over me. This was Emmett. Fury may swim in his eyes, but it never reached his hands. They remained gentle and soothing.

A feral sound rippled through the air. Peering around the bulk of a man holding me, I watched as Jasper's eyes faded to that endless black as well, but this time I did feel afraid. This was so confusing.

"Calm yourself, Major." Denise snapped, her voice cracking the tense atmosphere like a whip. This took us all by surprise, and Jasper appeared so stunned that I snickered.

"Who _are _you?" Jasper asked, a defensive but curious twang to his voice.

Denise smirked, "I am Denise."

With a light push, I made Emmett give me some space, and he removed his hands, only to settle right beside me. "She's my friend." I said, the most bizarre kind of contentment making me chuckle.

"Friends swipe at each other with daggers now days?"

I chuckled, "She is also my teacher."

Emmett remained silent, watching me. "Bells." The other two silenced at the desperation layering his voice. "You didn't believe him, did you?"

Removing the handgun from my knee, I set it on the ground. Hugging one leg to my chest, I set my chin on my knee. "When he left me, alone, lost in the middle of the fucking woods, I tried not to believe it, but when Dad said that you had all split town, without saying so much as goodbye, I believed it."

The anger hit me again, and a painful tingle ran down my nose, "When Victoria came after me I believed it. When she killed my Dad I believed it. When she ran me out of town and locked my in a tin shed for a week and tortured me I Gods. Be. Damned. B_elieved_ _it_!"

At some point, I had surged to my feet and stalked to where dozens of spent shells glinted dully in the grass. The handgun was in my hand, strong and sure, and a shot rang out with the last few words of my confession. The target in the middle, the only one still standing, became Edward again.

So many emotions battled for dominance inside me. Rage. Hate. Love. Fear. I channelled it all through my beloved weapon, feeling each _bang _go through my body with a shudder.

Straw flew everywhere, fluttering towards the ground as the barrel smoked and the gun clicked empty. With a scream, I threw it at the shredded lump.

"Yes, I damn well believed it, Emmett!"I screeched at the sky, drawing in near hysterical gasps, "What was I supposed to believe?" I finished brokenly, distantly proud that no tears stained my cheeks.

Arms wrapped around me from behind, thick, corded and cool, and instinctively I clutched to them like a lifeline. Air heaved from my lungs as I valiantly tried to stem of the hysteria that came up when I delved to deeply into my past. Words were whispered in my ears, a face was buried in my hair, a body was moulded to my back.

I trembled as new feelings flooded me. Security. Safety. Comfort. I hadn't felt these to this extent...ever. The hysteria creeping upon me died, withered, and breathing became easier again. It was like coming up for air after swimming to the bottom of the deep end of the pool. Freeing. Electrifying. Empowering.

"I'm so sorry, Bells," Emmett cried into my hair, "So damn sorry I didn't come back, I'm sorry I didn't fight harder for you, that I didn't go after Victoria myself after we killed James. We love you, I love you, please _believe _that."

The part of me I left buried years ago howled and clawed its way to the surface, and I welcomed her back with open arms. She was my childhood innocence, ruined and violated by Edward and Victoria, she was the memories I wanted to remember and forget at the same time, she was my past and future.

I let the real tears fall. The tears I had never let fall when Edward left, when the Cullens left, when my Dad was murdered, when I woke up in a real bed after Denise rescued me from Victoria. These were not the tears I had shed over the years, of pain and hurt and rage. They were of healing and full of the realisation of _finally _being able to heal, that I was finally allowed to be alive and _feel _alive.

I don't know how it happened or why it happened, but I healed, and the light inside me _flared_ with brilliance and it was breathtakingly beautiful. I fed the light and felt it warm my body like never before.

I tipped my head back as the tears splattered onto the pale arms holding me and stared up at the sky with a gentle smile upon my face. The light would dull, it would dim, but it would never fade again.

Therapy.

}O{

_A few more chapters in I'll be upping the rating. There will be warning up top if there is a particularly violent/graphic or lemony scene._

_I can haz feedbacks?_


	8. The Eighth

**Burning Souls**

_The Eighth _

"So, Bella." Jasper said, fingers sliding over Denises' compound bow. Her frown spoke volumes. She didn't like people touching her bow. The fact that she had brought it out for me to use for her version of therapy touched me immensely. "What is with all the weaponry? Running with the Mafia?"

Things had settled down after my little outburst. Emmett and I had hugged it out, and I was still confused about just _what the hell _I was feeling, but I couldn't argue the inner peace that was starting to flow through me. Something had just clicked, and it felt right.

"I'm a Hunter." I jerked my head at Denise, who was re-directing her frown at the stick she was whittling away at. He was still inspecting her bow. "We both are."

Emmett seemed confused, but Jasper hissed lowly in surprise, dropping the bow. Denise chopped the top half of the stick off, eye twitching as she looked between her bow and the ruined sculpture. My friend had stayed silent, for the most part. Letting myself and the other two speak freely, and I didn't know how I could talk with them so easily either.

I hadn't forgiven them entirely, not quite, I hadn't gotten the whole story yet, but I wanted to, sometime in the future I wanted to be a part of the Cullens again.

"_No," _I stopped that thought, it felt wrong. _"I don't want to be a Cullen, I want to be a part of a family again...but not as a Cullen." _These two were different, for some reason. These men, vampires, I felt contentment with.

"What are you spitting at, Jazz?" Emmett rumbled from my left.

"Hunters are renowned humans that kill creatures like us." Jasper's voice was measured, calculative. Was this where the 'Major' comment came from earlier? Golden eyes narrowed with scrutiny, intelligence glimmering.

Emmett's eyes shifted to me, expression unreadable, "Creatures like us?"

Jasper waved the question away, making a face, "Monsters, more-than-human, things that go bump in the night, whatever you want to call our collective of beings. Ghosts, werewolves, shape-shifters, vampires and all the others."

I snickered at his expression, Emmett seemed in the dark to just how many supernatural creatures were actually out there. Jasper noticed this, "Legends start from truths."

Denise and I traded a look, and she smirked. That was the line she had given me that first time I looked through her 'encyclopaedia' of monsters. "I didn't quite believe Denise the first time she told me about it all either, even though I had been cavorting with vampires."

"And you...hunt all of them?" Emmett asked me.

I leaned back on my elbows, stretching my legs out. "Only those that hurt people or need to be put to rest." I scrunched up my nose, "I hate putting ghosts to rest, digging up graves and burning corpses is one of the lowlights of this career."

Denise chuckled quietly, using her dagger to clean her nails. "Bella does tend to dislike the parts that involve sleuthing about after dark in graveyards."

I huffed, "Or morgues."

Icy eyes rolled, "They are one of the most sanitised places on the planet."

"Not when the corpses get up and start _gnawing_ on people." I shuddered again. I _hated _zombies.

The males watched us like a tennis match, eyes flicked back and forth.

Denise appeared to think over something, tapping the tip of the dagger on her chin a few times, "What about that shape-shifter lair? You threw up, I think." I scowled as she snickered, Billy had probably snapped some nasty remark about me.

"That was the second job I worked!" I trailed off into an unintelligible grumble, making her laugh throatily. The other two chuckled hesitantly, unsure what to make of my occupation, I'm sure.

"How did you get into this life anyway, Bells?"

The good humour left me in a flash. Taking my jacket off, I folded it into a pillow and laid down completely. Both men hissed, and I knew they were seeing my scars. I wouldn't hide from them, they were a part of me.

They sky was bright, almost cloudless. Clear and blue. "I had nothing to go back to after Victoria was finally killed." I shrugged, feeling the grass prick at my skin. "I stuck with Denise."

"More like wouldn't go away." She corrected mildly, voice amused but warm.

The truth was, she felt sorry for me when I followed her out of the hospital like a lost puppy. She offered to teach me a few things to hide and protect myself, we grew close, and here we are today.

"Bella can be stubborn when she wants." Jasper teased lightly, carefully, while Emmett's eyes traced the silver lines on my arms. I flipped Jasper the bird and delighted in their shocked faces. "Apparently she can be feisty to."

"Damn straight." I muttered. "I'm badass. And sexy."

"Damn straight."

I jerked my head over at Emmett, that damnable flush flooding my cheeks. He had a cocky grin and those dimples were back in action. My wide-eyed look made him burst into guffaws. Jasper looked at him oddly before joining in on the laughter.

Hissing a rather bad word under my breath, I sat up and motioned for another drink. Denise passed me the last bottle after flicking the cap of with her knife. "If you're quite done, I have a question to ask, if I may?" she asked the men, sheathing her knife.

"Have at it." Emmett gave the go ahead, still grinning.

"What are you doing here? You were watching us for about twenty minutes before I'd had enough."

I reeled back, starting at their sheepish faces. "Stalking is creepy, guys."

Emmett ruffled his dark brown hair, "We heard the gunshots and curiosity got the better of us." He shrugged, "When we realised that the laughing person shooting was Bella we just...froze until you called us out."

I sniffed, "I was laughing?"

Denise didn't bother looking at me, but her lip twitched, "Like a child with a new toy." She eyed them speculatively, "The moving truck and jeep, they're yours?"

The nodded in unison, but Emmett was the one to reluctantly speak, "The family has been having some difficulty living together, we've decided to split up for a little while."

A click echoed as he snapped his jaw shut. I sat up and nudged his leg with the toe of my boot. "Oh no, we need to hear more than that, buddy. You've heard my story, it's only fair."

He sighed, wiping a hand down his face. "After we settled in the new place after Forks, things were tense."

Jasper snorted, "Understatement of the century, brother."

My brows rose, and Emmett continued like he hadn't heard him. "Alice, the lil' spitfire, refused to even look at Edward for making her leave. I'd never seen her so angry, but when Jazz and Edward were in the same room..." he trailed off, sparing Jasper a look.

"Edward laid on the guilt, didn't he?" I said, knowing how manipulative the bastard was when it came to getting his way. Jasper nodded, body rigid. Emmett reached over and pet his shoulder in a manly manner, heavy claps that looked almost painful. I smirked as Jasper pushed the hand away in mock-annoyance.

"Things got worse, Edward somehow convinced Carlisle to order Alice not to look for you with her powers, and that was the last straw." A bag, boyish grin split his face, "Alice went after him like a banshee. Hissing and cussing like you wouldn't believe!" they sobered quickly after the cackles died, and Jasper took over. His silky and slightly accented tenor smoother than the low, rumbling baritone of Emmett.

"As Carlisle was the head of our coven, and his order didn't put me at risk, Alice had to obey or risk being evicted from the family." He stated simply. "Esme was torn between her mate and all of her children. She wanted to find you as much as Alice, but she didn't want to lose Edward or hurt Carlisle."

I hurt me, but I understood. I couldn't expect to be held above a mate, and Esme had been with Edward and Carlisle for longer than I had been alive.

"What about Rosalie?" I looked to Emmett, but he wouldn't meet my eyes.

Jasper took this question too, "Rose and Emmett argued constantly, she sided with Edward, agreeing that we should leave you alone, and Em wanted to go back with Alice."

He opened his mouth to continue, but Emmett stopped him with a shake of his head. "Rose and I divorced a few months ago, she's gone to live with Edward and the Denali coven until Esme can find them a house to live."

My jaw hit the floor, "But you're mates!"

He shrugged, "No, we were companions. We took comfort in each other, but we never had anything deeper than platonic love." He waggled his eyebrows ridiculously, "Kinda like a friends with benefits, if you know what I mean."

He said that in such a cheesy voice that I couldn't help but giggle.

He grinned before continuing, "That's how we ended up here. Carlisle came ahead to clear out the house and get the water and power back on. Alice is coming up later with her car after she wraps up the auction of our old house. And we were hunting when we came across you." He finished.

And that was that.

I absorbed all of what they had told me, humming as the information all clicked nicely together.

"Bella," I peered over at Emmett. He looked nervous. "We need to go, but could we talk again?"

They were asking to meet with me again, and I wanted to blurt out 'hell yes' but stopped, and thought.

Today had been nice, happy, but could I stand to do it again? Could I stand learning more truths and seeing more lies come to light?

Could I face Carlisle again after being so cruel?

I swallowed and looked to Denise. Her eyes spoke more than she ever did, 'I'll back you up, kid.'

So I looked them both in the eye and smiled, "Only if you bring the booze."

}O{

_So, my lovelies, today is the last day of my holidays! Back to studying and getting no sleep, ah, the life of a student! If the chapters stay around 1600-2200 words long, I can probably keep up with weekly updates._

_Please don't be afraid to offer critiques! I'm here to learn and improve!_

_The pairing will be staying Emmett/Bella. He will bring the laughter back to her life! _

_Also, I imagine Emmett looking like Tom Welling (hottie alert!), he is so adorkable._

_Toodles, dearies!_


	9. The Ninth

**Burning Souls**

_The Ninth_

They sky was dull, grey, heavy with the promise of rain. Perfect going-out weather for creatures that sparkled in the sunlight. I snorted, that had to be one of the most flawed characteristics of the vampire race. One of the most deadly predators on the planet _sparkled._

Fiddling with the end of my braid, I returned my attention to the laptop screen. Dragging the mouse over various links, I finally stumbled upon something of interest, eyes flicking over the given information with ease born of my somewhat meticulous nature. With dread creeping up my spine, I slowly read the article reporting on the fifth grave-robbing in the town we were currently staying in.

Shuddering, I dug up some more research to back up the conclusion solidifying in my mind. Dismayed with the information I received, I flicked a pen over at Denise, who was calmly cleaning the rifle I had all but thrown as a spear during my 'therapy' two days ago. She dodged the projectile by leaning to the side. "Something bothering you, kid?"

Her dark blonde brow rose as nimble fingers reassembled the weapon. I gave her a dirty look, growling out my answer, "_Ghouls."_

A chuckle, low and husky, made me scowl further. I loathed ghouls almost as much as I hated 'sleuthing' about in graveyards, their lairs were full of green mucus and rotting corpses. I was not quite as acclimatised to the messier aspects of this life as Denise was, and seeing lifeless humans, their bodies drained or defiled by monsters in the worst ways, still left me nauseous at times.

"What have you got?" she came up behind me, leaning one arm on the back of my chair. This motel had much nicer upholstery. And a bathtub. That was a glorious addition.

I scowled, "Over the past two months, five graves had been dug up, the bodies stolen. All of the bodies had been buried within the space of two months. The police have no leads, but are assuming grave robbers or a cult of some kind." I shrugged. Couldn't blame the police for that one, I wouldn't want to believe that a creature was digging up graves in order to eat the bodies either. "This town had two cemeteries, but the first three graves were dug up in the one about a mile away from town."

A fist bumped into my shoulder, a gesture of bemused understanding, and I grumbled but obligingly went to gather my weapons. "Looks like that's our starting point." She said unnecessarily, moving to do the same.

Armed with the appropriate weaponry and warm clothes, we climbed into the truck. The dark body of the relatively small SUV was splattered with tiny dots of water, remnants of the mornings' brief shower. The cabin, though cold, was always warm to me. On nights when we were too far away from a motel, this became out home, our hospital. There were many memories made in here, some of them painful and bloody, others smelling of cheap beer and warm laughter.

In this cabin I had good memoires, happy memories, and I loved this truck, even as I missed my own old rusted orange Chevy.

}O{

"If I step in any of that green shit this time, you are buying me a new pair of boots. _Expensive _ones." I grumbled, sloshing through the muddied dirt road that speared through the centre of the cemetery.

A snort echoed behind me, keys jingled and sang as Denise slipped them into her pocket. "You're the one complaining about how irritating it is to forge new credit cards. Avoid the green stuff this time."

I splashed water at her, watching the tiny wave of water rise and engulf the ankles of her jeans as my foot skimmed through it. She stopped and stared at the wet patches for a beat, then huffed and shoved the bolt clipper at me. "If you're quite done, the crypts look to be all in the one spot. Break us in."

Stalking up to the gates blocking off the family owned burial sites, I wedged the chain into the mouth of the tool. With a grunt the chain link was cut in two. It fell from the gate noisily, clattering so much that we both scanned the area for any bystanders.

The graveyard was empty, the only souls were the cawing ravens perched, rather coincidently, in a tree. It was sad to see this place so, well...dead.

Slipping inside, gliding over the wet ground with grace and skill, we inspected the doors of the crypts. They all had the padlocks, or in some of the updated ones, keypads, except for one. It was very old, perhaps a hundred or more years. Denise crouched down by the entrance, fingers tracing the slightly disturbed gravel. There was a no sign of a lock, but it looked as if the door had been opened. Long, curving lines marked where the door had dug into the earth and stone."They've probably already taken the appearance of a human, be ready."

Cracking my neck, I pulled my torch and Desert Eagle out, flipping the safety off. The beams of light gave us our path, and I nodded at the tracks in the dust. "Looks like something big and heavy was dragged through here at some point."

"_Why, whyyy do they always have to make their lairs in goddamn crypts!" _I whined, stepping around a broken casket and avoiding the skeleton. The walls were lined with caskets, and some of the stone work had crumbled enough that the casket had fallen. Judging by the dates, the latest addition to this crypt was over fifty years ago. There was no one to take care of this tomb anymore.

At least there weren't any rats in this one.

Following the disgustingly obvious trail, we silently approached the end of the tunnel, finding a knocked out wall.

Denise shook her head. They were not even attempting to cover their tracks.

Denise took point, keeping her torch pointed down.

}O{

It was the smell that alerted us first.

The musty smell of old earth and damp dirt was overpowered by the stench of rotting bodies. I fought against the gags convulsing in my throat. Denise scrunched up her face in discomfort. We continued down the roughly dug tunnel, probably an old crypt that had caved in or been abandoned and knocked down.

As the smell increased, the sound of tearing flesh and crunch of bone became reached out ears, and the faint glow of candles provided enough light for us that we were able to turn off the torches.

Crouching low, we came upon a small room, though it looked more like a cave.

Then we saw them.

There were two of them, and as Denise had warned, they were already wearing human skin. A shudder rippled down my spine as we watched them. The male and female were feasting on the corpse of a woman. Her dress was lacy and white, but was stained with her internal workings. I scowled fiercely, she had not deserved this. A pile of bones sat in one corner, by a pile of soiled clothing.

Rising, we edged forward. We were stalkers, assassins, snakes and tigers waiting to pounce upon our prey. The handgun was steady in my grip, sure and comforting, as I aimed it at the male, right between the shoulder blades, slightly to the left to ensure a hit to the heart. Denise did the same with the female.

My breath flowed in and out, calm, ready.

I was a Hunter, and they were the prey.

Denise nodded, and we fired.

Once. Twice. Three times our guns rang out, spitting silver bullets into the bodied of the unaware Ghouls.

The barrels smoked and the bodies fell. The male convulsed briefly, legs twitching, before he stilled.

We checked both, to be sure, before turning to leave.

"That was easy," I muttered, flicking my torch on and blowing out the candles.

Denise _hummed _softly, holstering her gun. I wouldn't do that until we were free and clear. She had certainly been teaching self defence and the combat style used by the military, but I did not want to risk an injury when I would be receiving a visit from a certain pair of vampires soon.

I made to head out when Denise stopped, eyes narrowed.

"What?" I asked, grip tightening on the gun, "What is it?"

Her lips moved, and her face paled, head snapping up to me. I looked to what she was staring at before. Sleeping bags. There were three. Not two.

A sound came from her mouth, the start of my name, but then the wind was knocked out of me.

Reflexively, I jerked forward as something heavy connected with my back, the air rushing from my lungs in a short _whoosh_. There was a bang and a flash, then a loud screech.

While trying to draw in a breath, I leapt out of the way, hoping to give Denise a clearer shot, but a heavy grip on the back of my shirt kept me from going far.

I yelled out, throwing my elbow back, snarling in victory as a wet sounding crunch reached my ears.

Denise was hollering at me to move, and with vicious kick I pulled myself free just in time for Denise to fire again.

I landed heavily on my side, feeling the Ghoul crush my legs with its weight. Gasping and spluttering, I covered my head as another two shots boomed in the small room. The body twitched, then stilled.

Uncurling from the protective pose, I kicked my legs free, hating the fact that the green slime that was their blood coated the bottoms of my pants.

Denise bent down, concern lingering in her eyes as I brushed off her worry.

It all happened so fast.

One second Denise was reaching over the Ghoul and picking my dropped handgun up.

The next, the bloodied and _supposed to be dead _Ghoul was screaming and clawing at her throat.

Ice bloomed in my stomach, solidifying into a heavy ball as its hand flew through the air, human-looking fingers sprouting wicked claws, and they wrenched through the soft skin and flesh of Denise's' throat like it were silk.

Red was all I could see.

It was hot against my face, spurting in a wide arch before tanned hands slapped over the gashes and I _snapped_.

Fang was suddenly in my hand, and I drove it into the Ghouls head, freezing the maniac grin made from shark like teeth. The desire to watch this smile melt and burn and blacken under the roar of fire filled me, but the horror of Denise's injury buried the desire immediately.

I turned to her, already ripping the bottom of my shirt off as a makeshift bandage. Her eyes were screwed shut, blood painting her body and clothes. Nimble fingers were clamped over the wound, and I pressed the wad of material against her hand. Her fingers slipped away and I gritted my teeth and forced the material into the wound, it would hurt, but the blood flow needed to be stemmed.

Fear swam around in my body even though I _knew_ that Denise wouldn't die from an injury like this, Billy's presence in her body prevented that from happening.

Her breath was wet and rasping, flecks of blood dotted her lips and chin. The wound was partially covered, but it looked like the bastard had only gotten two claws into her skin. One gash was two inches longer than the other, but they both curved around her throat in horrific lines.

I had to move her, get her back to the motel room and _fix _this.

While cursing in my mind, I urged Denise to her feet, pulling her hands up and pressing them over the wound. We stumbled through the ruined crypt, shuffling through the debris until daylight greeted us.

Heart leaping into my throat, I blew out a relieved breath when the graveyard remained clear of anyone that might see our desperate hustle for the truck. With a frustrated noise I kicked the iron gate open and took more of Denises' weight as her movements became more sluggish.

"_Shit!" _I cursed mentally, she had lost a lot of blood and it was starting to affect her. I would have to liberate some blood from a hospital or a blood drive van as soon as I got her patched up.

Helping her climb into the truck with some difficulty, I bit my lip nervously. The skin I could stitch up easily enough, but the veins...I had no idea what to do if the artery had been damaged. Was I supposed to stitch it up too? The few first aid techniques that Denise and my Dad had managed to teach me did not include what to do with an injury of this severity.

Forcing myself to calm, I pulled proper bandaged from the glove-box and tied them around her neck before turning the ignition. The truck came to life with a roar, snarling as I depressed the acceleration and slammed it into first. The black monster surged forward, kicking gravel and dust into the air as I sped towards our motel.

}O{

Making it back in record time, and nearly crashing into an obnoxiously bright Beetle, I wrapped a spare jacket, laying in the backseat, around Denise to hide the blood from any curious onlookers. Thankfully, the rain that had started falling a short time ago was keeping everyone inside.

Practically draping the barely conscious woman over my shoulder, I hauled our asses inside. It was as I was fumbling for the keys that the door to our room opened, the faded red of the door suddenly being replaced with a pale white figure with golden eyes.

Emmett stared at us both in shock. Eyes flashing between the green mucus on our pants to the red blood coating my face and Denise's body.

For a moment, just a moment, I wanted to throw my head back and scream bloody murder to the skies, cursing fate and daring the bitch to come down and face me, but then I returned to myself and let steel creep into my spine.

Denise slipped completely into unconsciousness, and I hardened my stare, inwardly relieved when I saw that there was not a trace of blackness or hunger in Emmetts' eyes. A memory surged forward, of our last meeting with a vampire of his kind, and relief flooded me. Denise's blood was tainted, it held no appeal to any blood-drinker, it was even toxic to some.

I pushed past him, nodding tensely as Emmett, looking quite concerned and bewildered, helped me gently prop her against a pile of pillows pushed up by the headrest.

Coming to a decision, I squarely met Emmetts' eyes.

"Get Carlisle over here, I need his help."

}O{

_Meh, kinda satisfied with this one._

_Feedback is love, my dears!_


	10. The Tenth

**Burning Souls**

_The Tenth_

_The air is stale, dry. The lingering scent of antiseptic, lemon scented, hovers. It is not the putrid mixture of rust, old blood and soiled clothing I had become accustomed to over the last week._

_I shifted, and drew in a sharp hiss of surprise. This was not a tattered, yoga matt. It was a bed. Soft and cradling like a mothers embrace. Tears stung at my eyes as I registered the cold saline drip inserted into my hand, it must be full of painkillers, as I was in hardly any pain._

_This was cruellest thing Victoria had done to me yet. To give me all this, only to rip it away in moments, I'm sure._

_Something moved, clothing brushing together._

_I tensed, froze, and waited for her high voice to taunt and laugh at me._

"_The red-headed vampire is dead."_

_That was __**not**__ Victorias' voice._

_Slowly, I opened my eyes. I was in a hospital bed, in a white and green room. A vase of plain flowers sat at the foot of my bed, a television in the corner played mutely._

_The wonderfully soft thing supporting my neck was a pillow, and sitting next to me was a woman._

_Dark denim covered her lean legs, and a tough looking jacket covered what the navy singlet did not. Though her eyes were the colour of blue-tinted ice, they were kind, if guarded. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled into a severe ponytail, highlighting the sharpness of her jaw and cheekbones._

_What she had said had yet to register, but when it did I jerked upright. Pain sliced through my stomach, the lines drawn by Victoria burning with a vengeance. Curling one arm protectively around my midsection, I waited for the pain to fade._

_The woman waited for me to regain my breath, pressing a cool glass of water into my hand. I stared at the liquid for a moment, unable to believe that I was holding a cup of clear and clean water. Then suddenly it was gone, drained down my throat and spreading through my stomach in refreshing waves._

_I sighed at the relief coursing through me._

"_She's really dead?"I rasped, speaking with a voice that had done little but scream these past few days._

_The woman nodded, a brief smirk making her look rather intimidating. "Yes. Burned her to ashes myself."_

_I choked out my next words, wanting to know my rescuers name._

"_Who are you?"_

"Denise!"

I gripped her shoulder, forcing her to wake.

Eyes fluttering, she groaned lowly. "Hmmm, Bel..." she trailed off.

I gripped her chin, making sure that her neck did not bend, "I need you awake, Denise."

A low, pained groan answered me, but her icy eyes opened and blearily focused on me. They were glazed over, the blood loss not helping her focus. The pale white of her usually tanned flesh was stark against the crimson waterfall down her front.

I kept up the pressure on her neck, and the vibrations of her pained moan travelled through my hand. The sharp intake of breath she took rasped thickly, and a cold hand settled on my shoulder. "Bells," Emmett murmured, pressing his hand over mine, "Let me take over, my hand will be like an ice-pack."

I looked to him, meeting his sincere and not-at-all bloodthirsty eyes. Slipping my hand away, I stared at the red covering it before wiping what I could off on my shirt. "Is Carlisle coming?"

"He'll be here in five minutes," he paused, pulling bloodied hair away from the wound, "What happened?"

I wearily sat down on the opposite bed, sighing, "We went to take care of some ghouls. We killed the first two easily, but a third caught us by surprise." The urge to let my head fall into my hands was great, but the state of them prevented me from doing so. "Denise shot it, but the bastard played dead, swiped two claws across her throat."

My hand closed, as if Fang were back in its grip, still vibrating from the crunch of bone as thick, green blood welled up from the fatal blow.

Grinding my teeth, surely loud enough for Emmett to hear, I pushed the seething anger down and focused.

Denise mumbled something, the words a drunken slur. I took her hand as it weakly came up and wrapped around Emmett's wrist. Streaks of scarlet were left behind, and he sniffed at them curiously. "Why isn't her blood driving me crazy?" he asked.

Biting my lip, I gave her hand a squeeze. This was not something we shared, other Hunters would likely try to kill her if they knew.

I was saved from blurting out some horrible lie about herbal tea and a rare blood disorder when Carlisle sped inside. The gust of the door opening and closing in the time it would take me to blink alerted me to his presence before I actually saw him.

He immediately crouched by Denise, shining a light into her eyes and watching the response of the pupils before speaking with Emmett in a low murmur, the words coming so fast it was like the faint buzzing of a bee to my ears.

"Bella, I will need your help." Carlisle said, face earnest. I nodded immediately, wiping what blood I could off on my pants. They were unsalvageable anyway. He smiled briefly, a quick quirk of the lips, before pulling his bag over. "I will need you to hold both of these while Emmett and I work."

He pulled out a bag of blood and a saline bag. They were cold to my hands. "Did you raid the hospital on the way over?"

A faintly guilty expression accompanied his answer, "Emmett said she had lost a lot of blood," he inserted the IV into the crook of Denises' elbow. I watched the liquids fall from the bags with morbid fascination. "Why did you not bring her to the hospital immediately?"

There was a scolding, a slightly disapproving tone, to his voice as he injected something else into her arm through the use of a needle. I sighed, there was no real getting out of it. "We couldn't go to a hospital, Denise had already lost enough blood to be considered beyond help."

Emmett hissed lowly, nothing threatening, it was almost a hiss of surprise, if such a thing existed. Carlisle cocked an eyebrow, eyes fixating on the wound as he peeled the compress away. "She's not human?"

I cleared my throat awkwardly, "Technically, she is human...it's just rather complicated." I ended awkwardly, "For now, I'll just say that she wouldn't have died from this," I waved my free hand at the blood still sluggishly pumping from her throat, "Been weakened, yes, possibly slipping into a regenerative coma, but die? No."

They both looked as if they wanted a proper explanation, which considering the help they were giving us, they deserved, but there were more pressing matters. Carlisle understood this.

He gave me a _look_, a look that clearly meant that this discussion was not over, and I nearly scoffed at him, but then he slipped into Doctor-mode and began working on the hideous wound on Denise's throat.

I winced when he began stitching, that was going to leave a nasty scar, no matter how clean Carlisle's stitch-work was.

Emmett held the wound closed, substituting for clamps or whatever surgical instruments surgeons use, while Carlisle cleaned everything up and closed the ripped skin. They worked well together, and quickly. In no time, Carlisle was wiping the closed wound with a sharp smelling antiseptic.

It must have been morphine or a drug to knock her out, as Denise did not utter a sound while this was going on, thankfully. I released a breath. It was done.

Emmett fashioned a stand for the IV and blood bag out of the coat stand. I rubbed my slightly burning arm with a thankful nod. "Were you hurt?" He asked, eyes taking in every inch of my.

I lifted my shoulders in a shrug, "A few bruises probably, nothing noteworthy."

Golden eyes stared me down, and I held them until he nodded, looking at the blood covering his hands instead. "Is the reason that she isn't dead the same reason why her blood smells...wrong?"

I avoided meeting his eyes this time, "Yes."

A hand settled upon my shoulder again, not demanding or heavy, just gentle. "Bella," he said, seriously, "What is going on?"

I looked over at Denise, surprised to find her free of blood and under the sheets. Carlisle worked very quick, and he too was waiting for an answer.

I sighed exaggeratedly, moving to scrub my hands clean in the sink.

"What do you guys know about demons?"

}O{

_Hi all! I have a book recommendation for all of you! __**Seven Little Australians **__is a marvellous little book, and a great read considering it came out a looong time ago. It's mainly for young adults and kids, but I'm almost 20 and had a good time reading it._

_Also, you should watch a show called __**Once Upon a Time. **__It's fabulous._

_Much love, lemondrops!_


	11. The Eleventh

**Burning Souls**

_The Eleventh_

"So," I said, clapping my hands together, "you really know nothing about demons?"

Both men across from me shook their heads, and I blew out a breath. I had hoped that at least Carlisle would have some comprehension.

"The only knowledge I have on the subject are a small number of questionable memories of my father during his sermons," the light tone was puzzled, "And it is doubtful that they were more than superstition fuelled tales." Carlisle finished, pressing two fingers into his temple, as if he were trying to pull the memories out by force.

I looked to the earnest face of Emmett, and he shook his head again, "What don't we know, Bells?"

A sigh left me, and I begun peeling the jacket off, grumbling as the matted blood pulled on the hair dusting my arms. Flinging it on the kitchen bench in disgust, I started scrubbing at my arms. Dried blood flaked off, and a mixture of red and green swirled down the drain. It was better that I had something to keep my hands busy while I talked.

"Everything, apparently." I snorted, smirking when he chuckled once. "Look, I don't want to have this talk without Denise, but I guess that there is no getting out of it." Arms clean, I started on the jacket, it would probably have to be burned, but there was no harm in trying. "When Denise was younger, she got a tattoo, a Celtic one that she found in an old book." Frowning, I scrubbed harder at the material, using a generous amount of soap, "Turns out that it was an ancient rune used to trap demons inside human bodies when they were possessed, and since the tattoo was hidden, the demon didn't know what would happen until it already had."

With an annoyed grunt, I wrung the jacket out and slung it over the back of a chair. It was a goner as a jacket, but I could cut the sleeves off and make a decent vest. I met their eyes, only to find that both were staring at my unconscious friend warily. I scowled, clearing my throat loudly. "He is _trapped_ inside of her, and can't do more than talk to Denise. And she can block him out if she really wants too."

I opened my mouth to say more, to delve into her ability to use some of his powers, but snapped my mouth shut angrily. There was no way I was going to spill everything. I forced a shrug, "We call him Billy."

Emmett snickered, "Billy?"

I was unable to stop the small smile as it curved my lips, "Pisses him off to no end."

"Nice," he grinned now, holding his fist out for a tap. I obliged with a tiny laugh. I had really missed this, him, smiles coming freely and laughter always bubbling away inside.

Not that Denise and myself did not have fun and joke around occasionally, there was just something special about Emmett and his stupidly adorable dimples.

"Has this...possession affected her health?" Carlisle broke in, scribbling something into a notepad. I hummed lowly, thinking over the question.

"She hasn't aged since it happened, she heals faster than me...sometimes she'll get bad migraines." I listed off, again leaving out what happened when she used Billys' powers. "She can see what demons can see, human eyes can't handle it all that well apparently."

"How old is she?" Carlisle leant forward, eyes on me even as the pen still moved across the paper. I stared at the speedy pen as I spoke.

"Thirty-two."

"And how old was she when the demon possessed her?"

My fingernails _tap_ _tap_ _tapped_ against the wooden table surface, "Twenty-three. It's like...the second Billy entered her body time stopped ticking. Regeneration excluded, her body is as frozen as yours."

"Fascinating," he murmured, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm going to take a shower, thanks for your help." I stopped by the bathroom door, something inside me urging my mouth to move and say more. "I really mean that Carlisle, thank you."

He stilled, a sad smile blooming, and my heart was gripped by a phantom hand. "You are most welcome, Bella. If you ever need me, call." A card was placed on the table, his business card, I guessed. "Anytime."

Golden eyes didn't look away until I nodded, and after swapping out the blood bag for a fresh one and re-checking the bandages, "I will come by tomorrow morning to check on her progress," then he left.

Silence pervaded, not awkward, but calm, until I finally sighed. "Aren't you going to leave too?" I mumbled, leaning against the doorway and closing my eyes. The days events had left me drained.

"I'd like to stay," a quiet voice finally said.

I opened my eyes. Emmett still sat at the table, blood staining his hands and clothes, but with such a sincere expression that I looked away immediately. The wall was far safer to stare at. "Why do you want to stay, Emmett?"

"Because you need someone to be here, you can put up the tough front all you like, but I'll see through it every time."

Lungs freezing, I was unable to look away from the golden eyes fixated on me this time. They held me in place, _making _me believe that his words were truth.

A shiver ran down my spine, a tingle of awareness that there was something else, something left unspoken, and I did the cowardly thing and retreated into the bathroom.

}O{

With the door safely between us, not that it could really stop Emmett if he really wanted to break in, I exhaled slowly, willing the tenses in my frame to leave.

"_Screw it, I'm taking a bath." _I decided, rummaging through the provided soaps and other such amenities provided by this rather nice motel. Setting aside what I wanted to use, I practically ripped my clothes off before taking a quick shower to remove the worst of the grime and slime. I wanted to take a good, long soak and not stew in filth.

When I was finally able to sink into the steamy water, I nearly moaned in pleasure. The bruises had flourished, brown and red splotches ran down my left side where I had hit the floor. They would fade quickly, barely lasting a week.

It wasn't until I had drained the water and begun to dry my hair that I realised that I had not brought in any fresh clothes. Grinding my teeth together, I attacked my hair with the towel until it wasn't dripping water everywhere, before tying it around my body. It was one of those large, fluffy white things, and covered a fair amount, but it was Emmett. _Emmett. _

A damned vampire with eyesight better than Hawkeye himself.

And it was cold.

Muttering obscenities, I glared at the pile of ruined clothing before wrapping the towel tighter around myself and cracking the door open.

"You still there, Emmett?"

"Yeah, Bells, is everything alright?"

I sighed exasperatedly, letting my head thud against the door. "Not really, but can you do me a favour?"

I could _feel _his curiosity as he spoke, "Sure thing."

"Close your eyes, and keep them shut."

"Uh, what?"

Huffing, I gripped the doorknob tightly in frustration, "You have perfect hearing, don't 'what' me. Close. Your. Eyes."

"...alright."

Hesitating only for a moment, I poked my head through the gap. Emmetts' eyes were shut, and I shuffled towards my bag.

"So Bells," Emmett spoke, so suddenly that I almost dropped my towel, thankfully his eyes were still shut. "Did it occur to you that you could have asked me to bring the bag to you in the bathroom?"

I really did drop the towel this time, and my face heated in embarrassment. The broad, cheeky grin on his face did not help. "Sonov'abitch!" I growled, clipping my bra on quickly.

"Can I look yet?"

Growling again, I pegged the closest object I could find at him, which turned out to be a clock.

He giggled, ducking to the side and catching the clock as it sailed by, "C'mon, nakedness is nothing to be embarrassed about!"

"Keep those eyes shut!" the hissed order did nothing to dim the bright smile he wore.

He snickered, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

I struggled to pull the jeans on, also trying to restrain the entertainment at the ridiculousness of the situation. When he began singing a song about strippers I succumbed to my own laughter, and ended up tripping over the legs of my pants. "Oof," I grunted, wincing at harsh treatment of the bruises that had blossomed over my skin.

A hiss whistled from between my teeth, but I then shrieked as a cold hand clamped over my shoulder.

Startled, I jerked away from the chill, mortification creeping up my spine as golden eyes stared at the bruising worriedly. "It doesn't look like your eyes are shut, Emmett." The low warming in my tone either went ignored or did not register to the vampire, and a gasp shuddered from me as cool, welcomely and soothingly cold, finger traced over the dark blotches on my hip.

I don't know how or why, but I was unable to move as the fingers circled the darkened skin before moving and tracing over the lines that would be forever carved into the flesh of my abdomen. The scars were long, thin and pink, the damaged tissue slightly raised. A breath, mine, his, both, was drawn in as his hand spread, fingers lining up perfectly with the old wound.

Cool fingers moved, from tip to tip, tracing the lines slowly, a terrible knowledge glimmering in his eyes. Emmett's hand moved over the scars drawn by Victoria's hand, and the urge to holler or shove him away did not even occur to me, it almost felt natural for him to be seeing me like this.

The hand stilled over the claw marks curving over my stomach, and I looked up to find him watching me, the surprise I felt was reflected in his eyes.

He cleared his throat unnecessarily, pulling his hand back. I wanted his hand back, I couldn't explain it, I just _did_.

And the strangest thing of all, was that no anger or embarrassment heated my cheeks, I was content, and that terrified me.

}O{

_Some Emmett/Bella interactions, ;)_

_Til' next time, my darlings!_

_Razz_


	12. The Twelfth

**Burning Souls**

_The Twelfth _

My stomach tingled, a thrill shivered its way through my body.

I was very aware of the fact that my torso was only covered by an ugly, grey bra of the old and worn variety. But I was not embarrassed, and Emmett did not seem to be looking at my breasts, but the scars on my skin. The golden gaze was not at all perverted or cheeky, but sad.

"Oh, Bells, what happened to you?" he whispered.

I sighed, flopping back onto the floor. The carpet was quite comfortable, and I did not give a rats furry ass that my pants were unzipped and I was still topless. "I told you what happened."

A head of brown curls and pale skin interrupted my field of vision. "No, you gave us a vague story, I want to know what _happened._"

I scowled, but my heart wasn't in it. A cold finger traced the barely visible line across my throat. I shuddered, and the finger withdrew.

With a smirk I said, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

A strained chuckle came from him, but he agreed. So I sat up and did up my pants. Reaching up, I pulled a random shirt from my duffle bag and yanked it on. It was an old Metallica shirt I had picked up at a thrift store. It had a few holes in it and was several sizes to large, so I wound up several inches of material into a knot, showing off a far bit of stomach still. I had to, for this game.

"C'mon then," I crossed my arms over my chest, "We'll trade off, scar for scar."

Emmett's smirk was strangely adorable, and it was impossible to not retaliate with a challenging grin of my own. "Alright then, Bells." He pulled of his bloodstained button down, leaving him in a muscle undershirt.

My eyebrows rose at the muscles revealed. I had known he was built like a footballer, but seeing the biceps that bludged even when relaxed and the wide set of his shoulders only reinforced the fact that Emmett had a truly impressive build. It was hard to spot some of his scars, others were more prominent, the benefits of vampiric healing. Secretly, I enjoyed having an alternate excuse to let my eyes rove over every inch of available skin. I was still a woman, after all.

He grinned, a spark in his eyes, "You first, take your pick."

Snickering, I tapped my lips, purposefully mulling over each blemish I could find. Finally, I reached out and traced a small nick on his forearm, barely two inches long.

"Vampire hunting in our territory," Emmett shrugged, "Ignored our warnings and attacked another human, he got lucky." He huffed, "Jasper ripped him up before I could even get a good hit in, the greedy hog."

I snorted, somewhat amused by his fighter-like nature. He certainly looked the part.

He grinned, cheeks dimpling, "My turn!"

Eyes rolling, I waited as he made a show of inspecting my arms. Going so far as to hold one up and twist it about in the light, pursing his lips and squinting like an old lady trying to read something without her glasses.

He reached out, finger drawing invisible squiggles over the four pink lines streaking over my bicep. "These, explain these, young Hunter."

With a genuine giggle I answered, "Shape-shifter," something flashed in his eyes, I didn't recognise it and didn't question it, continuing on as if I hadn't noticed. "She was going around, killing men that cheated on their partners." I shook my head, too-vivid images of her past victims flashing before my mind's eye, "She'd take the form of the mistress or guy-mistress, mantress - whatever, and torture the unfaithful in really...gruesome ways."

I sniffed, "We were pretty sure she was insane, shape-shifters aren't evil by nature, anyway, she was real catty and scratched me up before I shot her." A gesture to the silver lines, "Those were deeper than the others."

Emmett nodded, entranced, before grinning devilishly, "I like this badassery you've got, Bells."

One fake-punch to the shoulder later I was deliberating over Emmett's next scar. "This one," I poked a bite mark on his shoulder, nails trailing over the odd tapering lines coming off the initial punctures made by teeth, as if the attacker had been pulled away before letting go.

"That one..." he trailed off, light heartedness dimming, "was because I was stupid." A sigh, "That one was Jasper's doing." Golden eyes locked with mine as I drew back, stunned. "It was after he lunged at you. Rose and I dragged him away, but my shoulder was right there and he was all vampire-y with bloodlust and took a nibble."

"Looks like more than a nibble." I cocked a brow.

Powerful shoulders rose and fell in a dismissive shrug. "Meh, hurt for a while, but we had other things on our minds." The sadness in his posture was immediate, and I bulldozed right through this soon to be guilt-tripping moment by shoving my hand in his face.

"Your turn again, pick your poison."

The laughter came back, and his grin dimpled. "The ones on your stomach." He jabbed a finger towards them.

It was my turn to grimace, and he sobered. "Those were Victoria's doing." I traced the lines myself, almost hugging my middle, "A lot of them are."

Emmett had this sweet and sympathetic look, I could liken it to looking into a puppy's eyes and knowing that all the puppy wanted was a cuddle. "You said that she...tortured you..." he had to force the words out, some of that sympathy morphing into pain.

I was starting to regret playing this game, but forged on anyway. "Yes. After I ran out of Forks she played with me, herding me until I was out of the state completely..."

"And then?" he prodded, hand settling on my knee.

I blew out a breath, "And then she trapped me in her little house of pain and proceeded to be the absolute worst hostess in all of eternity."

His thumb was moving now, massaging. "Bells," he pleaded.

One look at him had me crumbling, and I ran a hand through my hair agitatedly. "Fine, you want the details? She drugged me up so that I'd hallucinate all kinds of crazy shit before torturing me until I couldn't scream anymore, alright?" I huffed, hating how lovely and soothing that hand was.

But then the hand moved up to my stomach, splaying over a larger part of the scars. His fingers didn't match up perfectly with the lines, her hand had been smaller, slimmer. His was large, broad. I sensed his question, and surprisingly answered. "She used her nails, like a cat."

His hand moved, and I closed my eyes. No doubt using his perfect memory, Emmett brought his hand around my back, slipping it under my shirt until his fingertips found the large 'V' burnt over my ribs. "Wire. Heated up and drawn over the same lines until she was satisfied." The hand moved, resting over the smattering of ragged patches of skin below my shoulder blade. "Cigarette burns, James had liked to smoke, apparently."

I couldn't quite fathom why I was letting him touch me like this, but it felt like a confession, a clearing of the conscience. It was freeing, in a way. Even Denise did not know, she could guess what had caused each scar left by Victoria, but never asked. And I never told.

His hand came over to the silver splotch by my wrist. "She broke a bone, it broke the skin."

I shuddered in remembrance. "Broke a few bones actually, set them improperly so that they would heal wrong."

When I opened my eyes, his were black. "She intended to keep you a long time, if she did that."

I nodded slowly, "Kept me hydrated with a drip, shoved food down my throat." I sneered, "Didn't deal any life-threatening injuries either."

Emmett took my hands, squeezing. I squeezed back. "How long before-"

"Denise bust in and shot up the joint?" Our smirks mirrored. "A week, I think. It was hard to keep track of time, she liked mind-games and drugs more than physical pain."

Emmett's eyes fell shut, but I could feel his sorrow. "Christ, Bells, if I had knownmmf-"

I stopped him with my hand, leaning forward and smiling contently, "I know that now, don't beat yourself up."

He gave me another one of those beatific smiles, the one that was all soft and sweet enough to turn even the hardest jackass out there into a puddle of warm goo. Good God, what was going on with me?

Shaking myself, I pulled my hands back, settling them into my lap.

Still grinning, Emmett glanced over at the unconscious woman in the other bed curiously, "How exactly did she rescue you?"

Now this was a story I liked, no, _loved _telling. With a positively wicked smirk, I said, "Denise had been following a lead on a possible haunting, not knowing that the screams echoing down the mountain were mine."

He flinched minutely, but I ignored it, "Startled enough hikers that the old ghost stories started appearing, but when Victoria's meal victims were found Denise caught wind of what was going on and started combing the mountain."

With a fond gaze, I watched her pale face, making a mental note to remove the blood bag soon, as it was almost empty. I hadn't noticed before, but a piece of paper with elegant scrawl was stuck to the rack. Probably instructions from Carlisle about the drip.

"She found me when Victoria was out hunting, managed to get me out into her truck before the bitch came back." I grinned, savage laughter barely held in check. "I was unconscious, but Denise said that Victoria was hollering like a crazy-lady before she'd had enough and hacked her up. Burnt the place down with the remains inside, then brought me to the nearest hospital."

A low rumble echoed from his broad chest, "Good." He snarled, eyes still glittering like the sea at night. Black and mysterious, hiding lurking danger with a beautiful deception. Then he sighed, and I watched, transfixed, as the black receded, leaving the warm pools of gold in its wake. "I should buy her some flowers, does she like flowers?"

A childish mischievousness overtook him then, "Nah, she'd probably like a mace or rocket launcher, right?"

I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt, which only made his grin broaden. Heavens, it was just so _easy _being around Emmett. Laughter was just so natural around him, and I had sorely missed feeling the laugher that left my cheeks aching and my eyes wet. Emmett was just...happiness personified.

He watched me as I came down from my high, eyes sparkling.

"I already have a mace."

I was up and by Denise's side before her rasped statement was finished. Her voice was thick and gravelly, a horrible imitation of what it usually was. But it was unmistakably her voice, and I grinned down at her in relief.

"Rocket launcher it is then, I'll stop by Wal-Mart on the way home."

Without looking, I could tell he was smiling. Denise smirked, bringing a hand to the bandage at her throat. She frowned, and picked up the cover draped over her. "Why am I naked, save underwear?"

There was a mild warning in her tone, and I chuckled. "I'm sure Carlisle was entirely professional."

Dropping the covers, she investigated the drip before rubbing at her forehead. "Please explain, kid." Her eyes drifted over to Emmett, who was lounging on my bed. "Lord, would you shut up." She hissed, rubbing her forehead.

Emmett's confusion was palpable, and I rolled my eyes. "Billy feeling chatty?"

Blonde brows dipped in a grimace, "Hasn't shut up." She smirked amusedly then, but it still resembled a frown, "He would prefer a flame-thrower, instead of a rocket launcher though."

Recovering, the vampire chortled, quite at ease. "You got it."

Piling a few pillows together, I helped Denise ease up into a setting position as she held the covers to keep her modestly. Mostly for Emmett's benefit, she didn't give two shits if I saw her starkers.

Settling back down when she was comfortable, I started talking, relaying everything that had happened after the Ghoul had surprised us. She listened attentively, blinking slowly in surprise when it was revealed that Emmett had already been in our room.

He pointed to the open window sheepishly, saying that he had wanted to surprise me. To our suspicious looks, he opened the fridge so that we could see the six pack of whiskey and cola cooling in the fridge.

"So, what now?" Denise winced, reaching up to grab her throat again. I slapped the hand away, not wanting her to irritate the wound.

"You rest up and..." I looked to a very hopeful but trying not to look it Emmett, "I guess I have some more Cullen reunions coming up."

Emmett not so subtly pumped his fist in the air with a blinding grin while I tried not to smile again.

I looked to Denise, there was a question in her icy eyes. _'You sure?' _

This time, I didn't hold back my smile, allowing myself to shake my head self depreciatingly. No matter how badly they had inadvertently hurt me, I still wanted the Cullen's to be a part of my life. As confusing as it was, I still yearned for their affection. I nodded, and she took my hand briefly, the pressure reassuring.

Alice was arriving tomorrow, and I wasn't sure if the weight suddenly forming in my stomach was nerves or dread, but I still wanted to see her, even if it meant getting my heart crushed all over again.

}O{

_These are just writing themselves! I probably should do course work...oh well! :D_

_So, anyone interested in making a cover image for the story? If enough people are interested, I'll make it a competition! Not sure what the prize could be yet._

_Anywho, feedbacks? I can haz? _


	13. The Thirteenth

**Burning Souls**

_The Thirteenth_

"Are you sure that you'll be okay without me here?" I hovered over Denise like a mother hen, clucking about this and that. She rolled her eyes, batting my hands away.

"Bella."

I fiddled with the sheets, anxiety welling in my stomach. "Yes?"

"Stop stalling."

Spluttering, I tried to tell her that she was wrong. "Honestly, Denise. Why on Earth would you say such a thing? I mean...honestly_. Honestly_." I huffed, shoving my hands onto my hips. "Honestly."

A derisive scoff, the television was muted as she threw a pillow at me. "Bella. You want to go, why are you putting off leaving?"

Tapping my foot and staring anywhere but Denise only got me out of meeting her icy eyes for so long.

"_Bella._" She sighed, wincing when it aggravated her wound. I started clucking again, pulling some low-grade pain killers out of her duffle bag. She waved them away, only swallowing them when I scowled heavily enough for her to relent.

It was insufferable when all she had to do for me to break was say my name in that tone of hers. The tone that meant 'you are hiding something and I will get it out of you so you may as well just tell me now and save us both the trouble'.

The covers puffed up around me as I fell back onto my bed. "I'm just...I want to see her but..."

"You're scared."

Gritting my teeth and glaring at the ceiling, I mumbled an affirmative, hating the weakness.

"Billy says you're being a pussy."

Jerking upright, I gathered up the keys to Denise's truck and stomped up to the door. A pussy I was most certainly _not._

"Good luck, kid."

Turning at the quiet murmur and giving my friend a warm if weak smile, I secured Fang in its sheath before leaving the room and locking the door, making sure that the salt barrier remained unbroken. An easy way to keep ghosts, demons and various other nasty things outside was to line all the possible entrances with salt.

Climbing into the black behemoth that was our mobile home, I revved the engine and spun the truck around, back towards the town that was only slightly smaller than Forks and barely a thirty minute drive.

}O{

A house had never seemed so ominous before, I thought bitterly, as the building loomed before me. Willing the nervous energy that was forcing my fingers to dance on the steering wheel away, I worked my jaw before giving in and shutting off the engine.

Silence. That in itself was more doom worthy that the damn house, so I purposefully scuffed my heels against the ground as I strode up to the gate.

It was still open.

Scrunching my nose up, I vaulted over the staged invitation and strolled up to the door with false merriment. The doorbell rang, an obnoxiously cheerful _ding dong _breaking the quiet.

A second passed. Then five. When fifteen seconds ticked by I jabbed my finger into the button again. I frowned as the door went unanswered.

Emmett had said that he would be here, waiting for me. Alice wasn't due for another half-an-hour, but...he had _promised. _

Familiar anger ran up my back, followed by a painful surge of unease, sending a warm rush of blood surging from nose to toes. If this promise had been broken...

When the doorbell was about to combust from the murderous glare I was directing at it a horn blared.

Having enough control over myself at the moment, I merely turned towards the driveway. The horn blared again, and my anger bled into confusion. The loud roar of a sports car purred from the trees, the horn going off again and again until I was warily fingering Fangs handle.

A streak of yellow burst from the tree encased driveway, skidding to a stop so fast that dust and dirt billowed into the air like smoke.

Pulse racing, I froze, body tensing as an achingly familiar person stepped from the car.

Alice.

Hot and cold raced down my spine, a lump forming in my throat. There was hesitance in her steps, she was wary. Afraid. Of what?

Then it hit me like a train.

Me. She was afraid of me.

Clutching at my heart, I tried to rip away the phantom hand that was suddenly gripping it in a vice. There was such an honest fear of being rejected that any and all doubts I had about Alice were blown away.

I fell to my knees, and opened my arms, her name a chocked cry from my lips.

With a heartrending cry, she sped into my arms and collapsed into my warmth. Sobs, horribly pained hiccups, came from her, broken words reaching my ears. Cradling her like a child, I buried my face into her inky hair, but I didn't cry, I just swallowed thickly and let the relief wash over me.

}O{

After what felt like hours, but had really only been a few minutes, Alice pulled away, hands smoothing out the wrinkles she had fisted into my shirt.

"Bella," she said, as if to reaffirm I was really there. "Oh, Bella. I tried, so hard to make them, _him_, see reason but-but..." she gripped at her hair until I gently guided her hands away.

"I know, Alice. Jasper and Emmett, they told me. Edward," I growled his name with a thick, loathing intensity that surprise Alice, "Lied to all of us. I never hated you, or wanted you to leave."

There was this sad smile on her face, and it hurt to see it on her. She should always be smiling. She and Emmett, they should always have smiles on their faces.

"I know, I never believed him but Carlisle...forbade me from going back or contacting you. His word is law...and Esme and Jasper...they were so broken up already that I couldn't risk being evicted from the family." Broken voice or not, I could still tell that there were old wounds that still hadn't healed.

"It hurts, but I understand. They were your family, I...wasn't."

Somewhere between my mouth and her body, the words had solidified enough that Alive drew back as if she'd been slapped. "No no no, you are my sister, you were always going to be a part of my family...the vision of you like me...it hasn't changed."

My lungs decided that now was a perfect time to stop working. Letting my hands fall limp, I felt my eyes widen. This was too fast, way too fast. She drew back again, regret tangible. "Sorry, that was...I'm moving too fast." Voice faltering, Alive stumbled over her words, lower lip trembling.

Making my hands move, I tugged on my braid, tickling skin with the end. "No, it's alright, just-let's take it slow, okay?" A small grin from both of us, nervous and cautious, "We have a lot of catching up to do."

Her grin bloomed, and we went inside.

}O{

"I must say, Bella, that your sense of styling has improved impressively." Alice trilled, giddy as she brushed dirt and grass from the both of us. Snug jeans and leather jackets were common wear for me now, they were comfortable, wearable without being washed for days, sometimes weeks at a time. "The shoes though...practical, but very masculine."

Brows rising, I glanced at the dull, black leather of my second hand army boots. Perfect for sparring and various forms of sleuthing about in the dark. I sniffed, "They're comfortable, practical and, well, ugly, but useful."

Her nose wiggled in distaste, "Well, the rest of your ensemble makes up for it."

Snorting, I fell back onto the couch, unzipping and removing my jacket. Alice hissed, eyes dark as they flashed from scar to scar. "A lot has happened, Alice." I murmured lowly, fingers folding together and elbows resting on my knees. "Have you spoken to anyone in the family since Tuesday?"

Her eyes remained glued to the bruises that were still varying hues of purple and brown as she spoke. "No. And my visions have been...wavering, until about forty minutes ago," her eyes became deeply sad and confused, my heart clenched, "That's when I saw you standing at our door, looking furious."

She scooted over, hands taking mine in a flash, "I saw you so upset that you drove away and-and-" she hiccupped again, and I smoothed my thumbs over her fingers, "You disappeared after that. Forever."

Eyes now gaining a fierce light, I saw a remnant of the lil' spitfire Emmett had spoken of. "I could not let you leave our lives again, not after everything!"

Mildly taken aback, I blew a soft breath through my nose, "I think that we need to talk about this 'everything'." I said, wishing that Denise or Emmett were here to explain everything. Repeating the story over and over again was grating on my nerves, reliving some of the most painful moments my life was a harsh way to spend a day.

"Tell me everything that Edward did after the party."

}O{

There was a familiar tension boiling under my skin by the time Alice was done talking. It was hot and sizzling. The kind of old frustration that made jaws ache from clenching and eyes burn with fury.

Edward was a dead man, vampire-whatever, walking. It wasn't just his marbles in danger now, but is life.

Using my knuckles, I kneaded my forehead, willing the anger to dim enough so that my thoughts were clear. There had always been something dark lurking beneath the charming exterior, a hidden malice that had crawled under my skin, but the mental screams of danger had been drowned by the childish infatuation that had enamoured me so with Edward. He had lied to me, betrayed his family and devastated us all in one fell swoop.

"Shit, just..._shit._" I finally ground out, "He really made a mess of things, didn't he?" I didn't wait for a reply, "Ass."

Even after hearing quick explanation Emmett and Jasper had divulged about Edward's lies, it was astounding hearing the lengths he had gone to in order for the family to stay well away from me. If Edward had another power besides the damned mindreading, it would have been something centred around manipulation or lies. He had a silver tongue that hid behind venomous fangs.

"Why did he-what was the point of it all?!" The words were hissed acidly as I tugged on my braid harshly, more confused than ever. Ideas, thoughts and schemes zipped through my fury fogged mind as I tried to just comprehend what Edward had done, driving a wedge between the family and myself, before taking off for Germany, of all places.

Alice shook her head, hands wringing together. "I don't know!" she threw her hands up, "Nothing makes sense!" A feral little growl rippled from her chest as those hands strangled some imaginary foe. I smirked at her consternation, seeing Alice so wound up was slightly entertaining, even though this whole Edward-situation reeked of deceit. "Ever since he made us leave you I've been trying to understand, but _I can't._" She ground out, lips curling into a grimace.

Head falling forward into her waiting hands, Alice huffed and massaged her temples. "It's easy to see you now, by the way, I'm not getting a headache anymore." Despondently, she peeked at me through splayed fingers. "Do you know why?"

Seeing her body so folded on itself, the picture of gloom and defeat, I decided to go with the blunt approach and simply say it like it was. Carlisle and Emmett already knew, and they had likely told Jasper of my fellow Hunter's situation as well. "I live with a woman possessed with a demon trapped inside her body," a nonchalant shrug countered her floored expression, "It's either his doing or one of the wards she had tattooed on her." I pursed my lips, "It could be one of the protective spells, or that enchanted ring of hers." Tapping my still pursed lips, I _hummed _softly. "Well, it's probably one of those."

I finally looked up, and with some amusement, smirked devilishly. One of her slim, black brows was twitching. "I told you that a lot has happened."

Her grin, though small, was quick. "So I can see, physically anyway." We both chuckled, "Start from the top, Bella. I want to know everything."

I sat back, and opened my mouth to speak when suddenly I felt a presence in the room.

Fang's hilt was a reassuring weight in my palm as I snapped my head around towards the disturbance. The frown I wore smoothed out when the presence turned out to be none other than Emmett.

For a brief moment, happiness made me smile, but then even then I was mildly peeved. "You are late."

Alice bounced forward as I spoke, and it almost seemed as if she were going to leap up and tackle him in one of her hugs. Both Emmett and I were equally stunned when she kicked him in the shin.

A heavy thud echoed in the room, and he winced. "Geez, Alice, what was that for?" he whined, rubbing at the sore spot.

Her tiny foot stomped childishly, "How come you didn't tell me that you found Bella?" there was real hurt in her voice, and he ducked his head sheepishly.

"I didn't want to scare her off," amber eyes, bright and sweet like honey, flicked towards me for a second, before returning to Alice. "You weren't there when Jazz and I came across them, her." Those eyes lifted to mine again, and that phantom hand came back and _squeezed_. "She was hurting, badly...I, _we,_ couldn't lose her again, Alice."

Bashfully, he rubbed at the back of his neck, tall frame towering over her small stature, "Plus, if you had known Bells was here you'd start freakin' out and sprint all the way over. Jazz wanted to tell you about her himself." He shrugged, "Guess he wanted to break it to you easy."

After a few tense moments, her shoulders relaxed and she sighed explosively. "Fine, no more secrets though." She waggled a pale finger at him, and I could tell that she was grinning.

Scolding over, I cleared my throat, drumming my fingers on my bicep. "You're late." I repeated, waiting for an answer.

He scuffed a toe across the floor as Alice skipped back to my side, giggling at the two of us with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Jazz called, a hiker had gotten lost in the woods while he was hunting, she'd taken a nasty fall and gotten a pretty deep gash on her arm." The lightness of his rich tenor soothed the immediate worry I felt, "He followed her until I got there and could guide her back."

Eyes sweeping over the clothes framing him, I took a moment to appreciate the fine figure he made, even in a flannel shirt and cargo pants, "That explains the get-up," I sniffed, cocking a hip, "You could have left a note though."

He ambled closer, bending down until our noses almost touched. The chill of his breath blew across my cheeks, and instead of blushing, I smirked, raising a brow. He grinned, eyes glinting with approval. "I am deeply, truly, sorry that I did not leave a note for your lovely self to find."

Eyeing him, I made a low sound of exaggerate disbelief, "Lies slip from your tongue like spittle does from baby's mouth."

Pouting, he took my hands gently, one thumbs running over the shiny skin of an old burn, "Your words wound me, my lady. What can I do to make up for this heinous crime I have committed?"

Unblinkingly, we stared at the other until the bubbling, explosive laughter couldn't be contained any longer. It rumbled from his chest and shook from mine, leaving me breathless with flushed cheeks.

Alice _ah-hemmed_ politely. Still grinning, I pulled my hands away and sat back down. It had been so easy to let them back into my life, I didn't know why, but it just _was. _

}O{

_Another one done, a bit longer than the others too._

_Feedback?_


	14. The Fourteenth

**Burning Souls**

_The Fourteenth_

"How's your friend doing?"

Emmett sat to my left, splayed carelessly across the larger half of the sofa. The curious but focused gleam to his eyes belaying the lazy pose. I met them squarely, smiling a little. "Fine, grumpy about being caught out like a greenhorn though." I had managed to escape, with Denise's prodding, the motel room before Carlisle arrived to check up on her this morning.

Alice glanced between us, curiosity bubbling. Emmett threw a coy grin at her, chuckling when she smacked his arm with pillow. "Did something happen to your friend with the demon?" she asked, speaking of Denise's...condition with a strange tone, as if she still could not believe exactly what, or who, had been blocking her visions.

Sighing gustily, I tucked myself into the available space, folding my legs beneath me. "Yeah, Denise took a claw to the throat, basically." Seeing the stricken look, I waved her concerns away, "She's fine, annoyed, more than anything."

"Ya know, Bells." Emmett started, nudging my calf with his foot, "Pops said that if that demon hadn't been keeping her alive, she would be dead. That's a silver lining, if there was one."

Even though a cold heat enveloped my chest, I smirked. "If he hasn't been pestering her all day she'll agree with you."

"Does he do that often?" Alice chipped in, leaning forward from her spot on the coffee table. "Talk to Denise, I mean."

Considering this, I nodded. "Sometimes he gives her headaches, if he's feeling particularly nasty, but that doesn't happen unless we really piss him off."

"I wouldn't think that you'd have to piss him off." Emmett stated, quite obviously intrigued.

Shrugging, I leant further into the plush cushions. The new, clean and mould free furniture was quite the opposite of the modern theme their old home on Forks had held. This house was full of warm colours with antique furniture, it had a family charm, it looked lived in. It did annoy me slightly how easily it was to settle in here.

"His life is her life, if she dies, so does he." I explained, shaking my head, "Or so we think. He doesn't want to risk it, so Billy usually won't do anything that could jeopardize them, well, not anymore." A sound echoed through the house, a soft thump of a door closing, and I was immediately on alert.

Emmett eyed me with a small smirk, "It's just Jasper, he's taking a shower."

Uttering a small 'oh', I settled back into the soft couch. Alice flashed me a grin so delighted that I giggled, "If you'll excuse me, Bella, I haven't seen my husband for almost a week." Then she was gone.

Sharing a look with the man beside me, we remained in silence for a second, then dissolved into peals and bellows of laughter. Wiping water from my eyes, I felt the warmth of happiness flow through me.

"I've never seen you smile like this, Bells." He said when the final snickers fell away. Grinning lopsidedly, I pushed his wriggling toes away. The smile fell, becoming far smaller, but still there. "Seriously, even back in Forks your were...hmm," canting his head to the side, Emmett squinted his eyes. "...subdued. You've got confidence now," he waggled his eyebrows, and I snorted, "I like it."

"You need confidence if you're a Hunter, especially with our kind of arsenal."

There was a flash, and Fang was suddenly in his hands. Starting, I hissed something that would have made even my mother shove a bar of soap down my throat. "Emmett! Don't do that!" he spun the dagger around, flipping it with expert precision, smirking cockily. "That's dangerous, even for Vampires."

The dagger stopped, perfectly still on the tip of his finger. "Really?"

"Yes," I growled, holding my hand out for it, "It's made from a dragons tooth, so it can hurt and kill almost anything."

A funny noise came from him then, a mix of a boyish cry and excited giggle. "Dragon. This is a _dragons _tooth!?" the grin was broad and full of glee, so much so that I had a hard time restraining a small smile of my own. "This is _awesome_."

To my relief, he passed the dagger back, eyes glued to it as it snicked back into the sheath. "What other cool stuff do you have?"

Now it was my turn to smirk, it was slightly fierce, but also full of pride. "Most of what we have is general weaponry, but modified. We do have a few _special _items."

Practically vibrating with excitement, Emmett bounced to his feet, all but dragging me outside to the truck. "Show me, Bells!"

Huffing with mock exasperation, I played along, letting him pull my hand until I needed it to unlock the cab of Denise's black monster. The cab had been modified by Denise shortly after she'd bought it. Hidden protection symbols were scratched into the framework and body, plus various hidey holes for spare cash and fake ID's. Not to mention the weapons locker...

Pulling on the barely visible latch, the back seats folded down, revealing a hidden cache of weapons. Weapons that we rarely used, or were too large to hide easily, were kept here. Denise's bow was back in its foam cradle, along with the rifle.

Emmett's fingers danced across the weapons, eye alight. "Is that a sword?" Cool fingers slid over the decorative case of the katana. "A _samurai_ sword!"

"Yep, it's made from blessed metal, picked it up on a ghost hunt in New York. Illegal smuggling ring picked the _one_ statue with remains inside it to bring over from Asia." I watched Emmett as he unsheathed the sword and swung it around sharply, the metal whistling through the air. "It was too nice to leave behind, so we kept it."

Now he was mimicking lightsaber sounds as he parried and blocked at an invisible opponent. "Jasper, you gotta try this, man!" he shouted, even though we all knew Jasper could hear him without the added volume. I didn't hear his reply, but Emmett blew a raspberry in the direction of the house before putting the sword away. "What's next?"

With a soft _hum_ I tapped a wicked looking dagger. It was long, but curved to the extreme like a scythe. The serrated part to the blade, near the handle, was ghastly. We both hated this weapon, but it was one of the few capable of hurting a Reaper. I relayed this information, and Emmett decided to forgo playing with it.

With the inquisitiveness of a cat, he perused our collection until he came across the one thing I had really hoped he would ignore.

A pang, always present when I saw the gun, went through my heart as he picked the glock up, turning it over in his hands. "Is this special, or anything? It looks normal."

Unable to look at him, I stared blankly at his blurred reflection on side of the truck. "It was my Dad's police gun."

"Oh, shit, Bells, sorry." He carefully put it away, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shrugged, distantly relieved when the hand didn't fall away.

"S'alright," I mumbled, blinking away fragments of the nightmare from days ago.

He was silent for a beat, then a finger tipped my chin up, forcing our eyes to meet. Mine were wet with old grief, his were sad but warm with sympathy. "No, it's not alright." He made to embrace me, stilling at the last second, "May I?"

I nodded, and was then enfolded by burly arms that were gentle and firm, winding around my shoulders until I was held tight against his body. "Can I ask what happened? You mentioned Victoria..."

Hands curling into angry fists, I scrunched my eyes up, pressing my forehead against the solid wall of his chest. That voice, deep and rumbling like thunder, travelled through me. Shuddering, I huddled closer, revelling in the security those arms brought me, even though that in itself left me confused.

"I came home from school one day and...and I found-" I broke off, voice cracking with pain, "She had torn him apart, shredded him until there was nothing left but his...head." The arms tightened, a low growl that was soft and soothing emanating from the man cradling me, "Victoria wrote a note on the wall in his blood for me, to run and chase her out of the state, or she would find my mother and Phil next."

"And?" he breathed.

"And I ran. Took his gun and my things, and ran like a goddamn coward until she found me." The words were growled, full of self-loathing and blame, I would always hold myself responsible for my Dads death, "The bitch then trapped me and, well, you know what happened after that."

Emmett sighed into my hair, holding me tightly but not enough to hurt. "Oh, Bells."

"I wanted to shoot her, with Dad's gun but..."

"Denise had already burned her." He finished for me, "I definitely owe her a flamethrower."

That startled a laugh out of me, "Definitely."

With one last smile, this one gentle and sweet, he brushed a loose piece of hair behind my ear, stepping back and giving me some space. A deep breath filled my lungs, and I have him a tremulous smile. Talking about my Dad was always hard, no matter the circumstance or situation.

The first time I had recounted the whole tale was with my friend. After following Denise around for a few months, my Dad's birthday had come around. I had drunk myself into a stage of inebriation that involved lots of crying and honesty, and Denise had gotten the full story out of me. That had been one _hell _of a hangover.

The second time...this was the second time. With Emmett.

"You alright now?" He asked. I huffed, rubbing at my tense shoulder with a hand.

"Yeah, I just...don't like talking about it."

With a grin that was both kind and cheeky, he spread his arms wide, "Wanna cuddle again?"

Fully recovering, I snickered, "Maybe next time, thank you, though." There was a gentleness to my voice that usually only presented itself when I was speaking with traumatised victims or children during hunts. "Seriously, Emmett, you're only the second person that I've spoken too about...everything."

Strong arms lowered, and that sad smile made a reappearance, his eyes warm and glittering like honey. "You got a phone?"

Blinking, I quirked my head to the side in puzzlement, "...yeah, why?"

Emmett wriggled his fingers. Still confused, but willing to see where this was going, I passed my phone over. He fiddled with the simple Blackberry, handing it back when he was done. "If you ever want to talk about anything again, call me up."

Smiling in gratitude, I slipped the phone back into my pocket. "How long are those two going to be?" I jerked my head up at the house.

A devilish smirk appeared on his face, and he giggled. "They're too busy...reconnecting, so a _long_ while."

Shaking my head, I crossed my arms over my chest, thankful that I did not have enhanced hearing like Emmett. Though the skill would invariably be useful on a hunt, living with that kind of sense would drive me insane.

Something poked my cheek. I glanced at Emmett. "What?"

"No blush? No rosy cheeks of embarrassment?"

Batting the offending hand away, I smirked saucily, purposefully wiggling my eyebrows. "Hardly."

Flashing his teeth in a grin, he joined me as I climbed into the tray of the truck, laying back and kicking my feet up. "Manage to get control over that, did you?"

"Mmm," I hummed, closing my eyes. "Unless I'm really angry, or drunk."

A deep chuckle came from my left, "I'd like to see the latter."

"I'm sure you would." I snorted, and we fell into a comfortable silence. After several minutes of this though, I felt his inquisitive eyes upon me. "Yes?"

"Have you been with anyone since Edward?"

The bluntness of the question took me by surprise, but taking it in stride I pursed my lips. "No, not really. Before leaving Forks I was too broken to even think about another man like that, and after...well, we never stayed in any one place for more than two weeks, except when I was still recovering."

"Damn, Bells. All work and no play? How dull."

It was hard not to laugh at the outrage in his deep tenor. "Oh, yes, not hooking up with conquest after conquest is a truly boring existence." I shrugged, the material of my jacket hissing against the metal of the tray. "And what about you, Mr. Friends Without Benefits Anymore, no scandalous list of dames that have fallen to your charms?"

Emmett's laughter boomed, bouncing around through the air, "Rosalie is the only woman on that scandalous list, and Mary-Anne from when I was human, if you really want to get technical about it."

He was playing with my braid, running the tip across his palm. Back and forth, and back again. I smiled, and birds chirped in the distance. This had been a pleasant way to spend half a day. "I think Rosalie would like this new you, ya know."

Eyebrows nearly climbing into my hairline, I sat up and leant on my elbow, body facing Emmett. "Say what?" I exclaimed. "She hated me."

Face becoming less jolly, and still playing with my hair, he peered up at me through his admittedly pretty lashes. It was ridiculous how pretty those eyes actually were, despite the handsomeness of his face. "Rose is complicated." He began slowly, choosing his words with care, "She didn't like how submissive you were, or how much control you gave Edward. She did hope to scare you off by being so bitchy, and that's why when we left, she didn't want us to come back." He looked away, eyes distant. "Her way of dealing with it all was not the best way to handle the situation, but she really did just want, what she thought, was best for you."

Swallowing down this speech, I felt a range of emotions run through me. It was kind of nice to know that Rosalie cared enough to try and help, even if her way to helping was terrible, but I also felt a twinge of frustration. She had seen, perhaps the only person to actually see, how manipulative Edward had been, and her actions, or inaction really, had caused me and others a lot of pain.

Sighing, I let it go. Enough hurt had been done to the family and myself, excluding Edward, and bringing it up and lashing out at people was only going to make things worse in the long run.

The realisation of how cruel I was being hit me then. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, I had let them all back in so easily, but Carlisle, I had already built a wall between us. The wall was made from fear and hurt, I was protecting myself and deep down, an animalistic part of me wanted to see him hurt for abandoning me with so little regard to my opinions and feelings.

Feeling sickened, I rubbed my stomach and resolved to set things right.

}O{

"How'd it go?"

Passing Denise the soup, fresh from the microwave, I surveyed the fresh bandage with a covert look. "Quite well, I...I'd like to stay here, for a while."

Bracing myself, I met her eyes. They were faintly warm, though glazed with repressed pain, and understanding. Her smirk though, that was full of triumph. "Good, the changes have already been made at the front desk."

I blinked, fingers stilling on the similar meal I was preparing for myself. "You knew that..."

Smirk lifting into a cocky grin, she swallowed the first spoonful, repressing a grimace. "Of course, I know you very well, kid."

Muttering curses, I jammed the buttons on the innocent microwave and waited for my meal to heat up. "How was Carlisle's visit?" she heard my grumble, eyebrows lifting.

"Fine, he is coming back after his shift tonight," setting the bowl aside, she met my gaze steadily, firmly. "He asked about you."

The microwave beeped. We both ignored it. "What did he want to know?"

Denise sighed softly, "The extent of the damage done by Victoria, and...he didn't say it, Bella, but he wants to talk." There was a gentle encouragement in her rasping voice, "He loves you, and you still love him, despite the front you put up."

Shoulders curving, I hugged my middle, as if I could protect myself from the truth. I couldn't, and it made my earlier realisation all the more painful. "I know."

}O{

_I would love some in depth critiques and reviews! Specifically, where do you see room for improvement, what works, what doesn't? But this is not about the story itself, this is about my style of writing._

_Till next time, darlings!_


	15. The Fifteenth

**Burning Souls**

_The Fifteenth_

"I'm going to the store."

The second it took for Denise's statement to register was all she needed to grab her coat and leave the room. Tearing my eyes away from the laptop screen, I only managed to catch the heel of her shoe before the door was shut and the stubborn woman was gone. She was supposed to be resting and recovering, and I was going to drag her back in here even if it made me look like a crazy person to the other motel occupants.

Scrambling, I shoved away from the table and barrelled after her, a glower pulling my lips down. Heaving the door open I ran from the room. Or tried to.

_Thud. _

Clutching my head, I leapt back reflexively and brought my other arm up in a simple block. It was unneeded though.

A muffled chuckle, feminine and genuine, came from behind the person blocking the doorway. I scowled at Denise as she ambled down the hall, Carlisle seemed both stunned and apologetic as he stepped to the side and allowed me to pass.

"You planned this, didn't you?" I asked accusingly, still rubbing my smarting head. Denise grinned, a flash of teeth, and continued on her merry way.

"Billy had some input." She rasped.

Snorting, I waved her away, "Go on then, don't be too long though."

Rolling her eyes, she turned away and disappeared around the corner. One look at the still perplexed vampire told me that Carlisle was clueless to Denise's little plot. She had likely asked him exactly when he would arrive earlier, and timed her outing accordingly. Frown slipping, I stared down the empty hall with an exasperated fondness.

Denise was giving me time alone with Carlisle, knowing that I wouldn't feel comfortable asking her to leave on my behalf.

"I thought you guys had super-reflexes?" I finally said, beckoning the silent man to follow me inside. "Shouldn't you have been able to dodge? Shut the door behind you." I added in afterthought.

Golden eyes were cautious as Carlisle hesitantly followed me inside. Masking a guilty cringe at the obvious trepidation, I gestured to the empty seat, retaking my own. Unsure where to start, I traced a gouge in the tabletop with a finger until I finally grew tired of the silence and of my own childishness. "I owe you an apology."

Clearly taken off guard, his eyes widened, confusion brimming. "For what, Bella?"

"For being such a...bitch, basically."

"You-what?"

Smiling slightly, I dragged my eyes away from the _incredibly _interesting crack on the wall. "I was unnecessarily harsh to you the other night, it's not fair to take it all out on you." A sigh. "Edward deserves my anger, not you."

Silence. Then; "Not quite, Bella. I am the head of the family, and I could have prevented this, I didn't-" he broke off with a sharp breath, laying a hand over my clasped ones, "It was my responsibility to take care of you, to protect you, even if we left, and I didn't. I didn't listen to Alice, Jasper or Emmett. Or even my own mate." He squeezed, and I was grateful that this man was so compassionate. "I listened only to Edward, and no one else. You were hurt, and others died, and for that, _I _am sorry."

It took a moment for the words to form, so thick they were in my throat. "How about we just agree that we've both done things that we regret, and move on?"

He chuckled lightly, happiness showing. "Agreed." We grinned at each other, and with that we moved on.

"I must apologise for not moving earlier, you took me by surprise, which for a vampire is quite substantial." Carlisle said, still smiling faintly. Considering our reconciliation, I doubted that smile would disappear any time soon. Mine probably wouldn't either. It was like getting a part of my heart back, the flimsy tarp that I had covered the hole with was replaced with a thriving, _beating _wall of life and love.

I waved his concerns away, "I've got a hard head."

That brought a warm laugh out. "Speaking of hard heads, has Denise shown any discomfort or fever?" he asked, voice serious.

"She's in pain, but showing the stubborn front." I snorted, "Billy prevents any kind of infection from taking place."

Curiosity gleaming in the gold, Carlisle leant forward. "She said as much, but I wanted to be sure. You don't suppose that she would be willing to allow me to perform some tests? Nothing invasive, of course."

Clearing my throat uncomfortably, I shifted in my seat. He noticed this immediately, frowning. "That...no. It wouldn't be a good idea."

"Why not?"

Grimacing, I answered, "We were investigating this town where people had gone missing, it was disturbing, the amount of people gone in under three months. Denise and I split up to search and she was caught." Fingers clenching, I glared at the white spots on the knuckles, "Normally, she could break out no problem but it was a trap made specifically for a demon and this guy was obsessed with demons."

Memories of blood and sulphur rose, and I quelled them quickly, briefly closing my eyes against the onslaught. "He name was Hector, and was trying to find a cure for his morality without becoming something different."

"Like a vampire." Carlisle uttered softly.

Meeting his eyes, I nodded. "Exactly. So he started with black magic, which lead him to demons, and then he started kidnapping people, summoning weak demons to possess them so that he could _experiment." _I hissed hatefully, revulsion making my stomach roll. "He did all kinds of shit, stuff I can't talk about without throwing up, and he had Denise for two days before I finally found them."

Images of bones and blood, ripped flesh and a beating hearts, made my nausea deepen. Lowering my forehead to the table, I took deep, slow breaths to calm my stomach. "He had...opened her chest, her ribs, like a cage and was...doing things to her organs, running _tests_. And because Billy was already a part of her, Hector was especially interested in the results, so she was conscious for most of it." It was heavy in my mouth, almost dragging my dinner up.

It had taken her a month to fully recover, which was a long time for Denise.

Carlisle's mouth made a horrified 'o'. For a doctor, this kind of treatment to a person must be especially sickening.

I forged on, wanting to finish the damned story and forget, even though I would never be able to forget. Never. "She was in a coma for about a week and...Denise hides it, but I know that even needles make her sick now."

The faintest tremor shook his hands as they rose and ran through his blond locks. Jaw working, Carlisle stayed silent, save the even breaths through his nose. When he was calm, he said, "I shall not approach Denise with such a request then."

I nodded jerkily, the gesture full of relief, "Good." Desperately wanting to leave this topic behind, I asked, "How long until Esme arrives?"

He smiled so sweetly then that I felt sugar grow on my fingertips. "A week, hopefully. We haven't told her about you, yet, but I know that she'll be thrilled."

I beamed, and he chuckled, smiling quite broadly himself. "So you'll be staying for a while, at least?"

"If something big comes up nearby we might head out, but Denise will need to heal up properly before we even think about going on a hunt." Fingers drumming on the table, I continued, "I'd like to stay for a while, we're pretty much drifters, it's not like we have any urgent appointments."

"You don't have a home, at all?" he asked, slightly taken aback.

"Nah, the truck is our home for the most part. Then it's just motels and hotels. Sometimes we'll rent a cabin or beach house for a couple of weeks if we need to recover or take a break."

"Don't you tire of such a life?"

My immediate answer was 'no', but when I really thought about it, my answer was actually: "Sometimes. I love seeing different places and travelling, but I do miss having my own bed, a place to really call my own."

Tipping his head to the side, Carlisle's soft smile became sly. This was an expression that was quite strange on the good doctor, it made him look so young and free. It was like I had been given the chance to see Carlisle when he was a child. "I am sure that Esme would also delight in creating a permanent room in our home for you and your friend."

That startled a bark of laughter out of me, and I looked at him with true surprise and gratitude. Having a place to come home too would be fantastic after long and tiring hunts. "That is certainly appreciated, but I don't know how often it will be used, we've been all over the country this past year."

I opened my mouth so say more, but three obnoxiously loud knocks boomed from the door. Denise strode inside, a plastic bag swinging from her hand. "I hope that the sappy stuff is already out of the way, or have I come back to early?"

The faint curl in the corner of her mouth had me grinning. "Your timing is perfect, actually. Now you can sit down and be a patient."

The glimmer of amusement in her icy eyes fell, and Denise pegged a chocolate bar at me with a small snarl.

Giggling, I bit into the treat. "Doctor, please attend to your patient."

Though I could tell that he had been amused by our little show, he became quite serious, if still friendly, and directed Denise to have a seat before removing the bandages. They came away quickly, and the red and yellow stained material peeled back until the ghastly wound was revealed again.

The chocolate in my mouth became too sticky and sweet, like the best of dreams that would never come true. I set the bar down and tried to swallow the thick mass in my mouth. Carlisle _hummed _and _hawed _over the injury, swiping more of the sharp smelling anti-bacterial stuff over the angry stitches. He asked her a few general questions, how's the pain, any difficulty breathing, and so forth.

Denise lied about the pain. I coughed in a not at all discreet manner. She scowled and grit out the honest answer.

Carlisle found the whole thing quite entertaining.

}O{

_Sorry this took much longer than usual, course work nommed all my free time. _

_Anyone wanna design a cover image for the story?_

_Much love,_

_Razz_


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